


The Dragon prince: Population problems

by EZF



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M, Interspecies Relationship(s), Interspecies Romance, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-09
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:33:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 28
Words: 128,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23085562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EZF/pseuds/EZF
Summary: When a rogue dark mage causes the entire elven population to give birth to only females, drastic measures had to be taken. Namely kidnapping and transforming humans males into elves, whether they like it or not.Now its Rayla's turn to hunt for a partner although she might find out that her prey is desired and hunted by others.
Relationships: Callum/Claudia (The Dragon Prince), Callum/Rayla (The Dragon Prince), Callum/original character
Comments: 680
Kudos: 594





	1. Take off.

**Author's Note:**

> Fair warning this is my first real story ever. I am not an experienced writer, the idea is completely stupid and smutty but its been stuck in my head for a while so i'm writing it to vent some of that energy. I got the idea from watching the scene of Rayla chasing Callum in the first season and thought what if she was chasing him for a very different reason.
> 
> Hope some of you will enjoy it. Any constructive feedback is appreciated.
> 
> And yes i am a Rayllum shipper but i like messing with random thoughts to create smutty stuff.

Things had changed considerably in Xadia, for centuries there was a cold peace between them and the human kingdoms. Neither had a clear advantage or reason to go to war, hostilities were practically nonexistent but tensions remained. Those tensions were almost broken when a human dark mage using unknown means almost doomed the entire elven race to extinction.

  
The spell was meant to render the entire elven race sterile, luckily the spell was partially interrupted by a united attack force of all elven races. Unfortunately the spell still partially worked, the result was that all elves born were entirely female.  
For a while Xadia was confident it could reverse the spell but despite their best efforts nothing worked. As time went on desperation took root as less and less males remained due to the ravages of time and everyday accidents. The only positive in the whole situation was that the human kingdoms seem to be completely unaware of what has happened allowing Xadia to maintain a bluff of strength.

  
For years there was no news of a cure or solution until one day an earth blood elf announced to have potentially found a solution. Hope quickly turned to shock as the solution was explained in detail.

  
She had discovered that using specific rituals on human males they could be slowly turned into elves themselves. They still couldn’t make males naturally but they could get them from the humans. There were 2 downsides though: The first was that there was no way to choose which type of elf they would become, as it turns out humans have a minuscule spark of primal magic and their transformation into elves ignites it bringing it to the surface. However, they would require much training to be able to use their abilities.

  
The second was the fact that it had to be teenagers that undergo the transformation, children did not survive the ritual while adults were too rigid to fully change.  
The idea was initially rejected due to the elven pride but as no other solution was found it was reluctantly accepted. Knowing that humans would seek to hold them hostage with this knowledge the elves decided that kidnapping humans was their only option.

Over the dozen of years the attitude towards the practice became more and more “lax” even becoming a business with items that help determine the unrevealed primal connection of the humans,

information concerning humans with especially strong primal connections or multiple connections (these humans are rare and sought after although one connection was always dominant). The elves that benefited the most from this whole situation were the moonshadow elves due to their ability to sneak into human lands and collect information regarding interesting targets.

Rayla was nervous beyond imagining tightly gripping her selection letter to this year’s hunt. It was finally her day, the day she would venture into human lands along with other elves, find one that she desired, abduct him and bring him back to Xadia.

“Man hunting” as the other elves jokingly called it was like a mark of passage into adult hood and an obligation for all elves to ensure their numbers stayed up although only a select few would go each year so not to arouse the humans suspicions.

Her parents had taught her everything about being stealthy and self-reliant, they even had bought her items that would most certainly come in handy despite her wish to accomplish this on her own.

Riding on her moonstrider alongside her mother Tiadrin and father Lain who were both still “pure” elves they arrived at the gathering point, a simple village that had the basic necessities to house the “hunters” before their departure.

Already a significant crowd had gathered at the village some bidding goodbye to their daughters while others were making one last check through their equipment.

There were all kinds of elves present, moonshadow, sunfire, skywing they were all there which only made Rayla more nervous at the risk of having to compete with them for the same human.

Tiadrin pulled Rayla out of her thoughts by placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t worry honey, you’ll do just fine”.

Even if Rayla didn’t say anything her mother always seemed to know when something was troubling her, especially when she was trying to hide it.

“I know ma, it’s that I’m worried I’ll let ya down. I mean in all our practice sessions you and dad were always there to fix my mistakes. This is human territory were going into not some forest in Xadia”

“Oh don’t be so dramatic Rayla it’s really simple. Just find a cute looking human, wait for him to be alone, hypnotize him with those baby bearing hips of yours and then “invite” him back to Xadia. Voila job’s done, babies ever after.”

The second Tiadran had finished uttering those words Lain slapped the back of her head like a parent would to a misbehaving child.

“Don’t listen to her Rayla, just remember what we taught you and everything will go smoothly. Besides you have an advantage as a moonshadow elf compared to the rest."

Tiadran earned herself another slap when she repeated the word “smoothly” while making a clearly perverted face.

Rayla couldn’t help but smile at her mother’s antics, although she was glad her father was there to keep her in line.

Before the conversation could continue a horn echoed through the village signaling the imminent departure of this year’s hunters. Rayla quickly embraced her parents one last time before dismounting, grabbing her pack containing her food, water and various tools to help her find and secure her quarry.

Rayla began jogging to the amassed moon phoenixes that would transport them to the human lands not wanting to risk missing her chance.

A shout from her mother made her increase her speed even further out of embarrassment.

“And remember honey, shake those hi…” Tiadran never finished her sentence, most likely due to the intervention of Lain.

Rayla just hoped that no one had realized it was her that the loud perverted elf was shouting at.

She had to push through the amassed crowd to get to clearing earning her a few glares from her victims although she couldn’t care less as they were already calling out the names of the participants and pairing them on a phoenix “Rayla of the Silvergrove” the announcer shouted, “PRESENT, PRESENT” Rayla shouted in return just as she finished pushing through the crowd raising her hand to get his attention.

“You’re with phoenix number 3 headed towards Katolis with Lujanne” the announcer said as she pointed to a moon phoenix with an older Moonshadow elf happily waving at Rayla.

The announcer continued calling out names as Rayla walked over to Lujanne. She wore the same skin tight suit common among moonshadow elves revealing her modest figure, despite her clear sign of age Lujanne could still be considered attractive in Rayla’s opinion.

“So you’re the one I’m going to have to share hunting grounds with?” Rayla exclaimed in an attempt to break the ice with her co hunter, who promptly burst out laughing.

“Oh no dear I’m far too old to be hunting for young human lads, I’m only here to drop you off and pick you up once you are done. Although if you are willing to share a bit I wouldn’t say no.”

Lujanne froze in an expectant smile, it was clearly meant to be a joke but there still was a hint of hope for a positive answer.

Rayla placed a hand on her mouth once she realized her error and couldn’t help but blush out of embarrassment even if Lujanne took no offense to her mistake.

Before Rayla could even formulate an answer to the surprising turn of events Lujanne’s attention was focused on something behind Rayla as she waved just like she had with her.

Rayla turned around to find herself face to face with a sunfire elf.

She was big, clearly a head taller than Rayla, with fiery red hair that extended down her back while her dark red horns rose a good 15 centimeters above her head.

Her black eyes blankly stared at Rayla. Her clothing was light, clearly made for mobility which revealed her dark well sculpted musculature clearly earned from regular training.

Her body was also gifted with bountiful assets that were without a doubt the fantasy of more than one elf or human.

Slung across her back was a backpack most likely containing similar supplies to Rayla.

“Ah you must be Zaiti” Lujanne greeted the newcomer with same energy as she had given Rayla.

The name struck a chord in Rayla’s memories, the elf before her was none other than Zaiti Dawn guard heir to the Dawn guard family. A rich and powerful sunfire family known for their legendary craftsmanship who were the fastest to embrace the changes compared to the other “noble” families.

They used their fortune to gather information on promising humans such as those with multiple primal connection and made sure their members had the best equipment to ensure safe capture.

This resulted in them having already several members with multiple primal connections even though the sun remained the dominant one.

Even their method of convincing humans to undergo change was carefully planned out, those who had not undergone any changes were kept in a low quality lifestyle until they accepted to turn themselves bit by bit. Each transformation granted their captive a more pleasant living standard until the final change at which point they were fully accepted into the family.

This made their husbands more submissive towards them and easier to control, some might say this was cruel but the dawn guard it was simply the most effective and humane way to change a humans mind. Compared to other houses who literally beat their captives into submission, they were saints as they allowed a great degree of freedom to their husbands as long as they weren’t trouble makers with that freedom only increasing with each change.

Another well-known trait among the family was their stubbornness. Once a dawn guard has chosen a human they will relentlessly chase him to bring him back no matter what.

There even was a story of one member whose human had managed to get across the border only for her to chase after him and drag him back across.

Rayla finally snapped out of her daze before extending a hand towards Zaiti

“H-hi, I’m Rayla I’ll be sharing the same hunting grounds as you. Hope we can help each other out.”

Her nervousness only increased as Zaiti blankly stared at her hand for a few seconds before finally shaking it with enough force that Rayla was certain her arm would come off.

“Zaiti Dawn guard. Pleasure to meet you Rayla.” Zaiti finally said in a feminine but powerful voice while still maintaining a tone of neutrality.

The handshake was finally broken when the departure horn sounded urging the elves to get a move on as the crowd erupted into cheers wishing them good luck.

The group quickly climbed on their phoenix with Lujanne at the helm. As they ascended higher into the sky Rayla waved one last time at her parents with Tiadran practically jumping and clearly shouting something but was drowned out by the crowd.

Once they had reached the proper altitude the only noise to hear was the wind brushing against the riders and the occasional flap of wings from the phoenix.

With nothing to do nervousness began to grip Rayla once more, seeking to distract herself she sought to maybe talk a bit with Zaiti since Lujanne was clearly busy steering the phoenix.

Unfortunately for Rayla Zaiti was clearly not interested as she was deeply focused on the contents of a book she had pulled out from her bag.

At first Rayla tried to occupy herself with the scenery, looking for clouds that looked like something else but her curiosity gnawed at her.

What was Zaiti reading with that much concentration, not even an hour later Rayla tried her luck.

As discreetly as she could she tried looking over Zaiti’s shoulder to peek at the contents of the book. What she saw was a veritable wall of text in elvish seemingly describing in detail an individual from his likes dislikes to even his daily routine.

Unfortunately before Rayla could read any more Zaiti turned around snapped the book shut and gave her a glare that could melt through even a dragon’s scales.

Taking the hint Rayla scooted further away from Zaiti practically feeling the anger coming off of her.

One word that she had read remained stuck in her mind: “Callum”.

It was clearly a name, but the name of who Rayla hadn’t the slightest idea. Besides Rayla was more focused on keeping herself occupied during her flight than stalling on the name of someone she didn’t even know.


	2. Marking the target

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Both elves go hunting in the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise i got a lucky break. Thank you all so much for the kind comments im glad this idea is finding its audience.  
> Always scared of an idea being badly received by the fandom and community.
> 
> Tried making more detailed descriptions as i still struggle with that.
> 
> Again constructive criticism is welcome

Night had swept over Katolis bathing it in silence and moonlight, on the ground there was little movement to be seen as most creatures retreated to the safety of their dens. The sky offered the same, with no clouds and a bright moon most would fail to notice the small shadow trailing in the sky. 

Barely visible the phoenix that was Rayla’s transport silently soared through the night carrying it passengers to their destination. Zaiti being a sunfire elf had fallen asleep from being denied her primal source while being exposed to her opposite, Rayla Lujanne and the phoenix on the other hand could feel their strength swell.

The trio was grateful for the moons power as Lujanne wasn’t sure her phoenix would have had the strength to finish the journey otherwise.

“We should be arriving shortly near the capital, best place to go looking for a partner” Lujanne informed her charge. 

Rayla had been in a trance until now focusing solely on feeling the moon’s light wash over her chasing away her worries of the task ahead, Lujanne’s announcement snapped her back to reality and with it excitement and nervousness returned.

She made a move to wake Zaiti who was sleeping like a log but still possessively clutching her bag while kissing it in her sleep. However, Rayla stopped turning back to Lujanne, scooting a bit closer Rayla took the chance for privacy to open her worries.

“Hey Lujanne, you’ve been on a hunt before right? Would you have some… wisdom to share by any chance?” 

Rayla tensed as she waited for a reply, hoping she wasn’t boarding a touchy subject considering Lujanne had no partner.

The reaction was not what she was expecting as Lujanne burst into laughter so loud she was afraid someone on the ground might hear it (even though she knew it was impossible). Wiping the tears from her eyes and stifling her laughs she finally was able to formulate an answer.

“Oh my dear you are asking the wrong person for dating advice considering I messed up my chance years ago. But if you want some a couple of things you should absolutely do then I might have a few pointers to give you.”

“First of all always leave your mark on your chosen target, without it you can’t challenge another elf’s claim on the human if she brings him back to Xadia.

Second don’t waste time, you might have a week to bag your chosen human but time flies by quickly.

Third, do not draw attention to yourself. As they say out of sight out of mind.

Lastly try to get along with your human on your way back, it might seem logical but you wouldn’t imagine how many elves have horrible love lives because they don’t put enough effort into trying to form a connection.”

This was unfortunately information Rayla already had heard countless times from other hunters, giving her no new insight on how to ensure the best chances of success for her hunt. However, curiosity concerning Lujanne’s failed hunt pulled at her mind.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what exactly went wrong on your hunt?”

Lujanne’s smile quickly turned to a sulk at the question, with a heavy sigh she explained what had happened.

In short she hadn’t followed her own advice. She had found a lonely young human with a moon connection like her, she waited for him to be alone before revealing herself to him. At first he was afraid of her but that quickly turned to curiosity when she began showing him all the things moon magic would allow him to do if he came with her.

He wasn’t ready to come with her on the first go but over the week she repeatedly visited him always teasing him with more. At the end of the week it seemed he was on the verge of coming with her on his own. She called him out to a secluded spot hoping to finally convince him, however, her mistake made at the beginning of her hunt and the prankster within her ended her chances.

She wanted to prank him with an illusion of a large spider believing him to be used to illusions by now. Now that she thought about it she should have checked if he was arachnophobic before doing that.

In the end it sent him running straight into the field of view of a flying sky wing elf who promptly snatched him up. Having forgotten to put her mark on him she couldn’t contest the skywing’s claim on the human back in Xadia leaving her hunt a failure.

“But oh well sometimes you win, sometimes you lose” Lujanne said with a nonchalant tone, clearly having had time to get over it. Rayla burned it into her mind to leave her mark on her target as soon as she can, since she not only has Zaiti hunting in her area of Katolis but other elves from other areas might wander around here if they cannot find what they were looking for. 

A week did leave them enough time to make a return trip to their pick up point even if they had to search nearby areas.  
This had been done in the hopes of avoiding too many conflicts of all the elves competing for the “jackpot” of that hunt and risk exposing their operations. It still did happen sometimes but the participants were limited thanks to that practice.

Her curiosity satisfied Rayla turned back to Zaiti and cautiously shaked her awake. With a heavy groan she finally woke from her slumber, clearly she wasn’t a night person as her eyes were still half way shut. Rayla shared the news of their approaching arrival which was received by a halfhearted nod and Zaiti with great effort moved to make one last check in her bag.  
Finally the town of Katolis was brought into view, its many torches made it shine like a beacon in the dead of the night. Rayla couldn’t hold back a shiver going up her spine thinking “this was really it”.

Lujanne cast a rune upon the group turning them partially invisible leaving only a faint outline, only someone who knew what he was looking for had a chance of spotting them.  
With that done she guided her mount downwards into the forest, for a second Rayla thought they were going to crash but the trees revealed themselves to have been a well craft illusion passing harmlessly through them. With a few more light beats of its wings they had safely touched down on solid ground, wasting no time Zaiti and Rayla jumped down ready to begin.

“One last thing girls” Lujanne said as she tossed 1 bright white stone to each girl.

“These are your emergency beacons, if you happen to be in too much trouble and need to get out quickly crush it and I will know to come pick you up. Be warned doing this means you forfeit your hunt if you haven’t caught you human since you should break these only if you have drawn too much attention to yourselves.”

Both girls replied with a firm nod before safely putting the stone away in the pocket of their uniforms allowing them to remain easy to access.

“Well I wish you both luck on your hunt and for moon’s sake if you happen to go after the same human try to save your fighting for when we return to Xadia not before.”  
With that said Lujanne began preparing her makeshift camp as she would have wait a week maybe less for the youngsters to return with their prize.

Meanwhile tensions were high for the two hunters, Rayla had wanted to ask Zaiti if she wanted to hunt together to increase their chances of success (and to forgive her for peaking at her book) but before she could even speak she received a scornful glare from her co hunter. Clearly she was still upset about Rayla trying to sneak a peek into her book, realizing cooperation would be too much trouble both girls sprinted towards Katolis with a wordless agreement to not interact with each other.

Katolis itself was deathly quiet despite its numerous lights, only a few guards making finishing their patrols were to be found in the streets. The castle itself was no different except for one small room.

That room belonged to Prince Callum, he was a teenage boy with dark brown neck length hair, green eyes and fair skin. For his age he clearly wasn’t the athletic type preferring to lose himself in his books and drawings rather than practice sword fighting.

He was already fairly popular with girls due to dorky personality and amazing gift for drawing, but the events that happened a month ago made him an instant celebrity across the five human kingdoms.

1 month ago he had been struck by accident with dark magic by an over eager apprentice of lord Viren and even though the wounds were very light Callum remained unconscious no matter what his family and friends did. For 1 week there was no improvement his condition actually worsened with each passing day and so did his family’s fear of losing him. His mother had to apparently be physically restrained from strangling the apprentice in question although he might have preferred that to the glare Viren and Harrow gave him for the entire week.

On one particularly stormy night Callum was assaulted with visions, while his mind was in turmoil so was his body, turning and thrashing wildly as the dark magic patches spread further and further. Suddenly as if they never had existed they began receding rapidly until they were gone, finally after a week Callum opened his eyes.

He almost died from the family hug he received but he accepted it nonetheless, his family’s relief turned to shock when Callum showed them the impossible. Somehow, through his dark magic coma he had managed to connect to the sky Arcanum something that was believed to be impossible for humans.

Despite his best attempts at putting it into words he failed to explain what he experienced. Much to Viren’s regret Harrow and Sarai decided it would be better to let Callum rest and slowly figure out a way to explain what happened to him.  
Over time Callum began to be able to explain a bit more of how he connected to an Arcanum with Viren noting down any little detail no matter how ridiculous it sounded, but still it wasn’t enough to explain it all despite the progress.

Callum practiced any spell he could with a childlike glee and as a result rumors of him began to circulate around the human kingdoms. The other rulers took great interest in Callum from then on and he found himself courted by numerous women from noble and royal families as he had turned from an adorably dorky prince into the first human mage and still a prince. 

However, despite their best efforts they only received blushes or whimpers as Callum ran (literally) from their advances. Even the girl he had a crush on Claudia, the daughter of Viren himself began to show signs of interest in him and not the academic kind.

Before, he might have been more than pleased by her attention to him, but her sudden interest in him made him wonder if she just saw him as the first human mage or did she see the person underneath. With some tips from his deaf aunt Amaya he decided to confess his feelings under the old oak just outside of the city, legend has it that couples that confess under it are bound to work no matter the circumstances…

Not that Callum believed such a tale but you never know, better to give yourself as much chance to succeed as possible. Not only that but the tree was isolated from prying eyes and with the upcoming festival tomorrow celebrating his recovery and his newfound magic he truly needed that privacy.

Despite his best attempts to sleep Callum failed to let his mind drift off to sleep, too busy trying to come up with the perfect confession to Claudia. He truly envied his little brother Ezran who was sleeping peacefully on his bed in the next room that was connected to his by a single door allowing both to see each other whenever they wished. 

Callum paced the room back and forth racking his brain trying to find the world to express his feelings to Claudia tomorrow night, slowly and gently his attention was tugged away from tomorrow as sweet melody crept into his ears.  
He began to feel heavy as it seemed all his energy drained away in a few seconds, barely able to stand straight Callum looked around the room for the softest place to crash onto. His bed was clearly the best choice, practically dragging himself to it he finally allowed himself to fall back onto the bed. 

It was a strange music, something he never heard before and he should have been wondering where it came from but his mind felt too heavy to be thinking about those things. Only his bed mattered right now, gazing at the ceiling Callum felt his eyelids get heavier and heavier until finally they shut completely and he drifted off to a peaceful sleep.

Rayla continued to play her flute for a few more seconds just to make sure the spell had taken root and plunged the human into deep sleep. It was a neat little item that allowed the user to make a specific target fall asleep provided nothing interrupts the spell or the target is physically hurt.

Confident that it was safe to approach she slid into the room from her perch, a small statue on the outside wall next to the window of the human’s room. Why anyone would put one there was a mystery but it was one she gladly took advantage of.  
She didn’t know who this human was all she did was follow the light of her arcanum orb a highly expensive item made by Startouched elves that guided the user to the strongest primal connection within a certain area by means of a small beam of light, although it didn’t specify what primal source it was. 

It had led her across the human town, dodging the guards that searched the streets until she reached the castle itself. She certainly couldn’t go through the front door so she decided to use her swords to climb the wall with her destination being a small window where a dim light still shined the human inside clearly still awake.

Now Rayla’s swords were specially crafted by her parent’s friends Ethari, they were of incredible durability and sharpness. But their greatest asset was their ability to turn into a hatchet like form allowing her to climbs cliffs and walls by slamming them into it. Numerous times she had to stop as a guard passed underneath, Rayla froze up each time praying they hadn’t heard the noise of her ascension.

Luckily Rayla remained undetected until she had reached the window but with the human inside still awake she resorted to her flute to speed things up.

With no further obstacles Rayla took the time to look around the room to try to get a feel of her human’s character. The room itself was nothing fancy, good quality but nothing more, the human was clearly well off considering they lived in the castle but seemed to have little desire for decoration.

A bed of rather good quality for a human was on the right side of the room with the human fast asleep on it, unaware of her presence.

A large bookshelf filled to the brim with various human books that Rayla couldn’t read covered a good part of the wall to her left.

“Great a scholar” Rayla muttered with a hint of annoyance, most scholars she had met were utter bores. She certainly hoped this human wasn’t like them.

Out of the corner of her eye she noticed a desk with a single book and some charcoal resting upon it. Picking up the book and opening its contents she couldn’t hold her amazement, this book was filled with nothing but drawings of amazing quality. Page after page filled with random doodle, portraits and landscapes, even skilled artists back home struggled to achieve this level of detail.

“Looks like I found myself a budding artist” Rayla said to herself with a smirk while looking at the sleeping human.

Finally Rayla moved onto the main event, time to find out what primal connection the human had. Kneeling down next to the bed and the sleeping human Rayla placed her bag onto the ground and began searching for the item she needed.

After a few more seconds she finally found it, her primal cube. It looked like a simple cube but each side contained the symbol of a primal source, the corresponding symbol would glow whenever exposed to a being connected to that source. The brighter the glow the stronger the connection.

Bringing it closer to the sleeping human she first began with the moon Arcanum, the symbol glowing a bright white.  
“Yes, same connection” Rayla silently cheered to herself while pumping her fist.

Next came the sun Arcanum and once again a positive glow was her answer. Rayla could only mentally thank the elements to have guided her to such a find.

She continued with the remaining elements her happiness slowly turning into confusion and shock as each symbol came back positive until only the sky Arcanum remained.

Rayla was trembling despite her attempts to remain calm, a human connected to 5 primal elements was already unheard of but what scared Rayla the most was that all the tested connections glowed with the same intensity meaning she had yet to test his dominant connection.

With a shaky hand she inched the Sky side of the cube closer to the human. In the following second Rayla was blinded by a blue light of great intensity forcing her to shield her eyes and quickly draw the cube away.

She couldn’t believe it, for what felt like an eternity she blankly stared at the human while she knelt next to him trying to process the information.

This was the find of the century, all six primal sources packed into one human. She realized how lucky she had been to find him first, other elves would kill to get their hands on him, but she couldn’t and wouldn’t allow them to take him from her.

Without wasting another second she dug into her bag for another item, triumphantly she pulled out a small capsule no bigger than a pinky as humans called it.  
This was her marker, every hunter had one as it was used to mark their chosen human. This not only served to show to other elves she had indeed visited said human but also formed a slight connection between the elf and human, allowing the elf to feel the general direction of her target.

Popping it open to reveal a moon white substance of similar composition to chalk, she wasted no time rubbing it over her lips until they turned white. Preparations had been made now was the time for main act, climbing onto the bed and over the human she brought herself face to face with him, still sporting a goofy looking smile.

Pressing forward Rayla locked lips with the human, a jolt sped throughout her body signifying the connection had been made. Her job was done as the white lip mark faded away invisible but still there. She should have gotten out of there but her body had other ideas, she felt hot each time she went for another kiss each more intense than the last. Each time she promised it would be the final one and each time she lied.

Losing herself in the feeling she grabbed hold of the humans head as she embraced the human, her human. 

She wanted more, she wanted a reaction. No matter what she did on her own her body refused to calm down, demanding her partner do something.

Just as she was guiding the humans hands to her chest a noise drowned out the warmth that had built up inside her like pouring cold water over a fire. The sound could only be described as some sort of croaking noise coming from the side of the bed leading to one of the only 2 doors of this room.

Slowly turning her head she found the source of the sound. A small yellow toad like creature who looked at her with eyes wide open and it's jaw open in shock. Clearly it was as confused by what it was seeing as the elf was at seeing him. 

Suddenly the door on the same side as the toad creeped open and out of it walked a small half asleep human child. His skin was of a darker shade and his brown hair in the form of an afro while his half open eye revealed themselves to be blue.

“Callum I forgot Bait over here, just getting him and going to bed.” The human mumbled clearing having just woken up.

Without another word the human lumbered over to the toad creature Rayla now knew was called Bait. The human child failed completely to spot Rayla straddling the other human, picking Bait up the human began sluggishly walking back towards the door ignoring Baits croaking protests clearly meant to make him aware of the elf.

Not wanting to push her luck Rayla quickly tossed some dream dust towards the pair causing Bait’s mind to become dazed and confused before falling to sleep. It was the same effect as her flute but just stronger, faster and made the victim believe what she/he saw a few hours before falling asleep to have been a dream. The human was already half asleep so the powder only accelerated the process of him falling asleep although lucky he still had enough time to flop onto his bed from what she could hear once the door closed.

Rayla finally let out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding. With the mood ruined and afraid of another unexpected visitor she decided to leave for tonight as she was not confident enough she could sneak the human out without being spotted.  
As she climbed out the window to make her escape she turned one last time at the still sleeping human.

“I’ll be seeing you soon, don’t you go anywhere” Rayla said in a flirty tone.

There obviously was no response but Rayla still felt the need to say that, she simply assumed it was a side effect of the recent bonding with the marker. It was a linking of souls according to what she had heard.  
Jumping out the window Rayla gracefully landed on the ground and sprinted of into the night to wait for her chance tomorrow night.

Had she not been so distracted she might have noticed the imposing figure scaling the wall that eyed her with murderous black eyes.

Zaiti finally reached her target finding the human she sought fast asleep. Although she knew what the result would be she cast a spell to reveal any elf mark on a person.

Just as she suspected the human’s lips turned white like the moon outside, anger burned within her chest. Those lips were meant to be hers, she had prepared everything from information to equipment, she had paid for everything by selling her own weapons and armor.

All her effort and hard work to secure a one in a hundred years opportunity and some moonshadow elf beat her to it simply by virtue of being faster thanks to the moon.

Rubbing her bright red marker on her lips, she bent down and kissed the human on his cheek as markers mixing together caused the magic to mix making it unrecognizable.  
Just like Rayla’s her mark quickly faded and with one last caress of the lips that were stolen from her she muttered to herself.

“She might have won this round but the hunt is not over, I hope you will make the right choice when the time comes human.”

With her business done Zaiti began her climb back down the wall as she could not move as gracefully as Rayla whom she cursed throughout the entire descent before rushing back into the forest before the sun came up.

Both elves had chosen their target but neither has yet to claim it, but a better opportunity might present itself soon to both. The only question is who will seize it first.


	3. Time to strike

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rayla makes her move on Callum. With some complications.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heres chapter 3. Hope everyone is doing ok with the virus up and about. I'm glad to see you people enjoy this story it makes way more enjoyable to do than on my own.

At last dawn arrived and with the first rays of sunlight life began once more in Katolis. People slowly began to emerge from their homes filling the streets as each began to prepare for tonight’s festival, the festival to celebrate prince Callum’s recovery and his achievement of somehow connecting to an Arcanum.

Bakers lit up their ovens, tailors began preparing their finest clothes, musicians rehearsed one final time their songs. Everyone was up and about, their purpose for the day clear.

However, the man of the hour himself was having something akin to a nervous breakdown. He simply couldn’t find the right words to confess to Claudia. Each time he wrote his speech and he had finally found the right way to express himself he came up with an excuse: Too corny, too chummy or too dorky.

Every time Callum found a fault somewhere, real or imagined making him start over multiple times to the point that there was a large pile scrunched up parchments in the corner of his room. The maids that cleaned up didn’t help in the slightest, they always had little teasing comments about what he was writing or what he had written.

Their little “ooohs” and “awws” always made him doubt what he had just written thinking it wasn’t “mature” enough. Little did he know that the maids thought that he had written speeches that would have made the heart of any girl swoon multiple times. They kept teasing him just to see what other speech he could come up with.

After having had the pile evacuated around 5 times Callum finally beamed with pride as he felt he had finally perfected his speech, it was only once he looked out the window that he realized how much time had passed as the sun was already beginning to set.

Panicking Callum attempted to quickly reach his bathroom to freshen up almost tripping over his own feet in the process, much to the amusement of the maids. Callum wasted as little time as he could cleaning himself in a rush as he still had the gifts to purchase for Claudia.

After a few short minutes Callum was ready, he had neatly brushed his hair, made sure his breath wasn’t horrible and chose his cleanest set of clothes. Not that they were really any different than what he usually wore but when you don’t pay much attention to fashion there is a price to pay.

As a result he had to go for a purple undershirt, a dark blue jacket, dark gray trousers held by a belt and dark brown boots with purple accents. He also took a pair of fingerless gloves to help keep his hands warm without compromising his dexterity with his fingers and finally his trusty red scarf. He also quickly stuffed his trusty sketch book and charcoal in a bag that he slung around his shoulder as he planned on asking to sketch Claudia in the full moon tonight.

Finally ready Callum began to speed walk down the stairs passing by numerous maids and guards some wishing him luck, others mentioned they were still single if things didn’t work out. He was pretty sure most wanted to see him blush in embarrassment, it was almost an official sport of the kingdom “make Callum blush”.

Having reached the courtyard Callum was stopped by none other than Soren, the brother of Claudia. Now Soren at heart wasn’t a bad person but his tendency to slightly bully Callum for his lack of physical prowess made him difficult to be around. 

“What up Step prince. Going somewhere?” Soren said while crossing his arms with a mischievous grin plastered across his face.

Wrapping his arm around Callum’s neck, Soren continued his one sided conversation.

“Kidding I know what’s up, just wanted to let you know that you better make Claudia happy or you’re going to hate sword practice even more than you do now.”

With his warning sent Soren let go of Callum and allowed him to continue on his journey. For his part Callum took that threat very seriously, he already hated sword practice and the idea of Soren deliberately making it worse was something he did not want to discover.

Wasting no time Callum quickly set about gathering the gifts he had planned to present to Claudia.

Walking through the now busy streets he barely could walk a few steps before someone interrupted him to congratulate him on his recovery and his achievement. Some were honest, some less so.

It was nice to see that some of the people of Katolis did care about his wellbeing, he always had been the “replacement” prince for some since he came from his mother’s previous marriage unlike his younger half-brother. Now however, he was Callum the first human mage, he was finally his own person.

Unfortunately that did bring some unwanted attention, ranging from overly curious people, to others trying to set him up with one of their family members. Despite that he had eyes for Claudia only and that wouldn’t change so easily.

Continuing his journey towards the most reputed bakery in Katolis Callum couldn’t help but admire the activity and feel of the town. 

Children eager to play in the streets and buy whatever snack they could find, colorful clothes were being sold in various stands, the intoxicating smell of various foods being cooked filled his nose like a gentle perfume.

The city was truly bustling with life, his attention was drawn to the bakery that finally came into view. The baker greeted Callum with a friendly wave and knowing grin.

Ducking under his desk her pulled out a box shaped very much like a heart, he didn’t need to open to check its contents as he knew it was filled with Claudia’s favorite chocolates. Quickly paying the baker Callum rushed to collect the 2 remaining gifts he had planned, a bouquet of violets the same color as the edge of Claudia’s hair and finally a set of matching pendants in the shape of a broken heart.

He knew these gifts were “cheesy” to some but it made his intentions clear and left no risk of misinterpretation as Claudia was prone to viewing things in a “different” way than most people.

With his gifts packed and the sun slowly disappearing into the horizon Callum rushed outside the city gates towards the old oak tree. Most people would think that dangerous animals would be up and about at this time of night but he knew that most animals didn’t dare get too close to the town, especially with this level of noise.

With the full moon illuminating his surroundings easily found the clearing where the oak tree stood. Thanks to the fact that Callum rushed getting the gifts and getting here fast so as to not risk making Claudia wait he still had some time to rehearse his speech on final time.

As soon as he finished reading out loud his text a giggle was heard coming from behind him. Spinning around to face this mysterious person Callum could see nothing but the oak tree.

At first Callum thought it was his imagination but as he focused, listening for any sound to break the silence of the clearing. However, in the end he felt and not heard what he was looking for.

What he felt was something like a light breeze that could be felt every few seconds, like the breathing of a person. Yet no one was there, feeling strangely calm despite the odd situation Callum inched closer towards the source of the breeze each step he took it seemed to increase in frequency.

At last he was certain he was at its invisible source, the normally regular breeze had become chaotic appearing and disappearing much faster than before and having a greater intensity to it. His face was now right in front of the source feeling it wash over him, it had a slight smell of berries. What kind he had no idea. Before Callum could try to touch this mysterious source a voice broke the silence and almost gave Callum a heart attack.

“Is this the part where we kiss?”

Rayla couldn’t help but smile at the adorable yelp the human made when she made her presence known. The full moon had made it so easy to approach the human, she had been stalking him since he left the town and had happily listened to him reading out a speech he seemed to have made for a human woman. She did feel a bit of jealousy that he seems to have eyes for someone else already but she was confident she could make him forget about her. The name of the woman bothered her “Claudia” it had a degree of familiarity to it but she couldn’t remember from where.

Once the human had finished his little speech Rayla couldn’t help but let out a slight giggle as the speech was somewhat dorky sounding but made his feelings for the recipient clear. The human had heard her giggle and seemed to sense her breaths, using them to slowly close in on her. Bit by bit he got closer to her, his green eyes stared directly at her.

Each step he took made her heart beat harder and faster, her body burned, demanding she take him right now. So strong was the effect that she failed to keep her breathing steady.  
Deciding that hiding longer would only cause him to panic despite the calming incense she had released before revealing herself. It would only make him more inclined to listen to what she has to say rather than runaway screaming, so she decided not to push her luck and introduce herself.

Quickly repositioning herself so that the human would be caught between the oak tree and her, she allowed herself to become visible.  
“Over here” Rayla whispered, causing the human to spin around in a panic.

His eyes widened as he finally saw her, but despite that there was only a slight inkling of fear in his eyes, the incense was doing its job.  
From his perspective he must have found himself suddenly face to face with an attractive (in her opinion) moonshadow elf, with white shoulder length hair, black stubby horns and a very form fitting dark teal and navy suit complete with knee-high boots and bracers and of course lets not forget a rocking set of hips. She didn't it to her mom but she was proud of that feature.

“You’re one of those, with the pointy…” The human exclaimed as he finally realized who he was talking to, seemingly on the edge of having a heart attack.

“Yeah I’m gonna stop you right there before you have a panic attack, so yes I’m an elf and I’m not here to hurt you. If I wanted to kill you we wouldn’t be having this conversation, you would be on the ground in a pool of your own blood.”

The last part of her sentence clearly didn’t put the human at ease but at least he wasn’t running while screaming at the top of his lungs.

“W-what do you want from me?” The human asked in a cautious tone, while still glancing around him clearly looking for a potential escape.

“I don’t want something FROM you, I just want YOU. I want you to come back with me to Xadia” Rayla answered with a hungry glare, fighting the burning desire to jump the human and let nature take its course.

The human could only blankly stare as his mind tried to process what she had just said.

“If you need a little “convincing”, I just happen to have this book about magic that I might be willing to give you if you come without a fuss.” Rayla said as she gently waved a book in her hand.

It was a basic magic book, to her it was pretty much worthless but from the gleam in his eye she could tell she had the human’s attention.

The human focused his gaze onto the book, staring at it like Rayla stared at her favorite snack. He clearly was interested in her “bait”, now she only needed to wait for him to take it.

Unfortunately that moment didn’t come as the human seemed to snap out of his trance and slightly bowed to her while being stiff as a rod.

“I am umm, flattered you seem interested in me but I can’t accept your request, I have someone I like and a family I can’t abandon.”

The human remained frozen, his eyes closed after his outburst clearly awaiting her response.

“I think you misread the situation. I’m not asking whether you WANT to come with me, you ARE coming with me. Only choice you have in this is whether you come quietly like a good human or you make this difficult for me.” Rayla uttered those words as she drew her blades.

She didn’t want to do this but the human clearly wasn’t going to be convinced with words, so force was her only recourse.  
The human slowly stepped backwards at her words unwillingly pushing himself against the oak tree, his eyes were filled with fear at the sight of her drawn blades.

“So human, last chance, are you going to choose the easy way or the hard way?” 

Her ultimatum sent Rayla looked at the human whose mind was clearly racing with various thoughts on what he should do.  
She was hoping his fear would make him choose the safest option and she could get out of here quickly.

Callum’s mind raced as to how to respond, should he go with her, can he actually do anything by resisting, what if he screamed for help. So many choices but none seemed like they would end well for him.  
However, fate seemed to have decided for him as he saw something move behind the elf, he hoped it someone he knew.

Unfortunately those hopes were dashed as the figure revealed itself to be a very large and very angry looking sunfire elf, said elf proceeded to tackle the moonshadow elf grabbing her with her momentum and aimed to slam her into the oak.  
Callum barely had time to roll out of the way before the duo impacted.

“He is MINE!” Screeched the sunfire elf having just pinned the other against the oak one elbow pressed against her throat.

Callum was briefly mesmerized by the scene before his brain told him that now was a good time to run the fuck away.

Running as fast as his legs could carry him Callum ran in the direction of the town, however, he hadn’t even gotten to the edge of the clearing before he heard a rhythmic thud behind him. Turning back for a split second he saw the sunfire elf sprinting towards him closing the distance much faster than Callum could hope to run, while the other elf was on her knees coughing while rubbing her throat.

Deciding that trying to intimidate the new elf has a better chance of succeeding than running, Callum drew one of the few runes he knew. In this case it was the “fulminis” spell. 

As electric sparks gathered in his right hand the elf’s look of determination became one of surprise, but the elf didn’t stop.  
Having already almost reached him by the time the rune was ready she reached out towards the hand casting the spell.

Callum tried to bring it down aiming next to her as he didn’t want to give her reason to hurt him should she not back down. Unfortunately for him the elf was faster, grabbing his hand and forcing it skywards the spell barreled into the night sky.

Callum now dangled slightly off the ground as the elf held his hand higher than he could reach, her face was one of excitement and held a surprisingly warm smile as she looked at him. Before anyone had a chance to say anything a thunderous boom echoed above them accompanied by a feminine shriek. It seemed the sky wasn’t as empty as they had thought, Callum barely had a chance to look up before a what seemed to be someone’s rear slammed into his face freeing him from the large elf's grasp but slamming his head into the ground.

Rayla stared for a few seconds having just recovered from Zaiti’s assault only to then need another few seconds to recover from her shock to see that the human could actually use magic. She couldn’t believe it, not only does this human have a connection to all the primal sources but he actually can cast sky magic on his own. It seemed that his "value" as a potential mate kept increasing each time she saw him.

Yet again she needed a couple of seconds to get a hold of herself as somebody fell from the sky and slammed into the human kicking up a large dust cloud. Zaiti on the other hand seemed more pissed off than anything else at the intrusion as she swung her arms in an attempt to disperse the cloud faster.

Getting up she positioned herself slightly behind Zaiti (her throat still hurt), finally the dust settled and revealed who just dropped in on their little event. 

“Oooooowwww, normally thunder comes from above not below” a feminine voice whined.

Its owner was revealed to be a winged skywing elf, light blue hair tied up in a ponytail pierced by a pair of horns that curved backwards, they fade from dark to light towards the end, sky blue eyes, purple blue hued skin, brown wings covered with intricate cyan drawings.

She also wore a skin tight suit similar to Rayla’s, most likely to keep the wind from blowing into her clothes. Unlike Rayla however, it seemed that she was more “blessed” in the chest than Rayla as it was clear that her uniform was squishing her breasts making them look smaller than they actually are. They must be pretty impractical to fly with Rayla thought to herself.

The new arrival had landed right on the humans face, now covered by her rear. Looking up at Rayla and Zaiti she uttered the question that was most likely on everyone’s mind.

“Can anyone tell me what just happened?”


	4. Shit hits the fan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things spin out of control

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go guys hope you like it. I got a friend helping me for another story to give me a few tips on how to make things seem less "sudden". Tried applying it in this chapter.
> 
> Let me know what you guys think.

Her name was Triz, she was a proud and free skywing elf.   
Even among skywings she considered herself blessed to have natural wings, allowing her soar freely through the sky whenever she wished. Her family were well known messengers their speed and efficiency was what they took pride in the most, although Triz enjoyed flying to deliver said messages she hated having to rush to each location.  
She felt like a bird forced to fly to where other people wanted rather than where her heart desired, she craved to be free from her duty. She knew she would still require a job but not one that would poison the biggest joy she could indulge in.

When she received her letter of invitation for this years “man hunt”, she could barely hide her excitement. Her mother was practically ecstatic about her “little girl finally getting a chance to make some grandkids”, she did find her mom’s reaction funny but felt a pang of annoyance as her concern was again mostly about her families future rather than her own daughter. 

While most elves wouldn’t be too picky about the primal connection of their humans, she had her mind dead set on finding one with a connection to the sky like her. She didn’t share this with her mom as she knew she would endlessly worry it might make her miss her chance, her dad probably would have understood if she could have explained it to him in private.

She knew that her choice would make her hunt more difficult but she was determined to see it through on her own terms.

She had been dropped near a remote human village in the kingdom of Katolis, her first night out hunting had seemed fruitful in the beginning, her Arcanum detector led a young human that indeed has a good strong connection to the sky Arcanum. The Arcanum detector was a good item but only if you were looking only for one type of Arcanum as once it was locked onto an element it could no longer be changed. Hers was of course locked onto sky connections.

The next day she followed him, she ducked and weaved through the darker streets of the village doing her best to stay out of sight. A feat made more difficult by her wings preventing her from carelessly maneuvering. 

Watching his daily routine unfold before her eyes she tried to gather any info she could find on his personality and when he would be alone. As it turns out he was a simple town guard, who seemed to be a very pleasant fellow based on what she saw.  
He played with the human children during his time off, only lightly scolded small time offenders, helped people in need without prompting. He seemed to be a good catch in her book, with her curiosity satisfied she retreated for the rest of the day and waited for night to fall.

Once the sun had settled Triz cautiously crept out of the woods, she was no moonshadow elf but she was confident in her hiding skills. After a few minutes she reached the city and set about finding him again, she cursed herself for not having put her mark on him while he had the chance. After a good hour of searching from the rooftops she found him alongside another guard, slowly Triz glided from rooftop to rooftop getting steadily closer until she was practically a few meters away from them.

Patiently she waited for them to go off on their own patrol roots, even putting on her light blue marker on her lips in anticipation. However, both him and the other guard seemed to be entrapped in conversation. Slowly Triz was getting impatient.

“What the hell’s taking him so long” She muttered under breath.

Slowly she noticed a change in their body language, nervous twitching, more physical contact than what was necessary, averting their gaze from each other.

“Oh no. Please don’t tell me this is what I think it is.” Whined Triz

When the two guards embraced her fears were confirmed. Had the other guard been a woman it wouldn’t have been a problem but as it turns out her target was gay.

Triz was throwing a silent tantrum making motions as if she was screaming but she didn’t allow any sound to escape her throat, swinging her arms wildly in the air in rage one would think she was fighting invisible bees if they saw her.  
Angered at the time she wasted she shot up into the sky, the Arcanum detector her mom had given her informed her that this human was the only one with a connection to the sky of the level she desired. This meant she would be forced to go hunting elsewhere, mentally consulting the map of the human kingdom the next closest area would be the capital.  
Now for any land lover this would take the rest of the night, but for her it would take only an hour. Her destination set she flew off into the night sky, hoping that the new area had what she desired.

After an hour the capital was in sight, and for whatever reason there seemed to be a great deal of activity at this time of night, most likely some human festival of some kind. Her attention was displaced when her she felt her Arcanum detector began shaking and glowing in her pocket signifying a very strong sky connection was nearby. Reaching into her pocket she pulled it out and was almost blinded by how brightly it glowed forcing her to hold it as far as she could. 

Finally she could see where it was pointing, straight down. Lowering her gaze she could barely make out 3 figures moving on the ground, lowering her altitude she slowly began seeing them more clearly.  
What she was seeing was 2 elves and 1 human, from what she could tell one of the elves was a sunfire elf while the other was a moonshadow and the third figure was a human most likely the one with the connection her device had picked up.

A fight seemed to have broken out between both elves as they were tangled with each other by a tree while the human seemed to be making a break for it, not that it was a very fast attempt.  
The human was probably terrified of the other 2 so “saving” him from them could earn her a few brownie points with him and the other elves were distracted.  
Folding her wings she began diving towards the human in a straight line above him.

The sunfire elf suddenly noticed the humans attempt to escape and abandoned the moonshadow elf to chase after him. Triz could only hope she got to him before she did as she did not want to tangle with an elf of that size. However, she forced herself to stop her dive bomb when the human was suddenly wielding the fulminis spell. For a second she thought she was seeing things but it turns out that lighting was real, very real when it came barreling towards her when the humans hand was forced upwards.  
Failing to react the lighting struck her full force causing the shriek out in pain and fall to the ground. Lucky her fall was partially broken by the human with her butt right on his face, however, now she had the problem of an angry looking sunfire elf with the moonshadow a bit further behind.

If she let them know she knew about him casting magic they would never allow her to get close, she needed to play dumb and wait for an opportunity.   
Putting on her most innocent face she uttered a question to the other 2 elves about what had happened to her.  
The pressure of the human under her bosom suddenly gave her an idea.

Feigning her best innocent face before the other 2 elves could recover she set about her plan.  
“H-hi I’m Triz sorry to have dropped in like that, I don’t what it was but something hit me up there. Look I can guess this is your human so if you don’t mind I’ll leave you to your business.”  
Hands raised she slowly got off the human who was out cold from her landing leaving her crouched next to his head.

The two elves looked at her with suspicion but made no move to stop her.  
Looking at the human’s head she shifted her face to one of worry.  
“Oh my god I think I might have hurt him, oooh that’s a nasty looking wound.” Triz mentally congratulated herself on her acting skills.  
The two elves expressions turned one worry, bringing her face closer faking that she was trying to get a better look at the nonexistent wound she seized her chance planting a firm kiss on his cheek.

“Booyah” Triz thought to herself. Now she had a claim on him, it was a close call but so worth it. Worth in fact the tackle she received from the sunfire elf pinning her to the ground with her larger opponent on top of her. Before the sunfire elf could try to pummel her into a fine paste Triz used her wings to slap the larger elf’s head, something she knew hurt like hell.

The result was as she desired, the sunfire elf backed off holding her ears in pain from the blow.  
Seizing the opportunity she flew back onto her feet and drew her weapon from her belt, it was a well craft retractable staff.  
Triz took a fighting stance while the sunfire held her fists up ready to strike while the moonshadow elf held her blades at the ready.  
“Sorry girls, I would normally not have gotten myself involved but with a prize like this, I would be an idiot to not throw my hat into that ring.”

Claudia was positively giddy tonight, she didn’t let him know but she had figured out what Callum was up to.  
It was adorable how he had tried to be discreet about setting it up, unfortunately for him the castle had ears everywhere in the shape of gossipy maids and Claudia knew how to make them talk.  
Before she saw more akin to a younger brother always wanting her attention but always shying away when he got too much of it. She had loved to tease him just to see him blush, but no matter how much she did it the thought of taking things beyond flirting never crossed her mind.

Now Callum was different, he had grown more confident ever since he somehow was able to use primal magic on his own. Part of her was jealous while another admired him, no matter how much she tried teaching him dark magic he had refused determined to learn primal magic.   
She had laughed at the thought so many times but once it happened in front of her she couldn’t help but feel ashamed. Even her father had seemed to begin respecting Callum, his desire to learn how Callum achieved his connection overwrote any previous negative views he had of him. He even began to be more… open, before her father was somewhat distant and aloof yet slowly he had begun to become more approachable.

Bringing herself out of her thought she realized that the time for her “little meeting” with Callum was nearing and she ought to get going.  
Stuffing what was left of the bread she was eating into her mouth and wide the bread crumbs with a tissue, she quickly made her way through the busy streets towards the entrance of the city.  
As she made her way through the crowds she noticed someone was following her, the person thought she was being sneaky but stealth was not their strong suit.

That person was none other than Amaya the aunt of Callum, ever since the incident she and Sarai have been clinging to Callum like glue. She could understand where they were coming from considering how close they had been to losing him, but their overprotectiveness was a bit suffocating although Amaya managed to tone it down.  
Amaya was tailing Claudia, she thought she was being discreet by pretending to be enjoying the festivities but her “innocent” act was downright terrible. Well as long as she stayed out of sight she guessed it wouldn’t her to let her tag along, especially since she had been the one to tell Callum about the myth of the oak tree.

After a good 15 minutes of making her way through the crowded streets she finally began to see the exit. Passing the guards with a simple greeting she started following the man made path that led to the tree.  
As the noise of the town faded with the distance Claudia could hear the clattering of Amaya’s armor as she followed her. Fighting the giggle in her throat Claudia pretended to not notice her pursuer, focusing back onto the event that would soon happen Claudia lost herself in her mind.

It was a strange feeling, thinking back at all the moments she shared with Callum during her childhood, from him crying after he hurt himself trying to impress her, to his enthusiastic talks about primal magic. Never in her wildest dreams would she have imagined herself being interested romantically in him, she always believed he would remain the cute little brother figure she would enjoy teasing from time to time.  
Yet her she was fully intending to accept his confession, Claudia couldn’t help but rub her now red cheeks as she imagined all the things they would do together as a couple. Her father approved and so did Callum’s family, there was literally no obstacle to them starting a relationship.

As she noticed that she was nearing the clearing Claudia shook her head evacuating any distracting thoughts, putting on her “game face” she steadied her pounding heart with a couple of deep breaths.  
However, the sight that greet her cut off her breathing for several seconds as she took it in. In the clearing there was Callum lying on the ground but still breathing with 3 elves around him weapons drawn fighting each other.  
When Claudia’s mind restarted a few seconds later all she could think of was saving him and with Amaya not far behind she was certain they would succeed.

A demonic chanting and the sound of a horn being blown snapped Rayla’s focus from her two opponents to the source of the sound. Turning around what she saw sent shivers down her spine, coming into the clearing were two individuals she never wanted to meet, the dreaded general Amaya holding a hollowed out horn and the daughter of the most feared dark mage in Katolis: Claudia crushing the remains of some magical creature.

Her mind finally connected the dots making her realize how badly she picked her target and timed her abduction attempt, the human on the ground was planning on confessing tonight to Claudia explaining her presence while the reason Amaya became clear when she remembered the name of her nephew: Callum, the same name that she had seen in Zaiti’s book. Rayla couldn’t help but curse herself for not having paid more attention to the names and descriptions of the family members of the most dangerous people around.

The sudden arrival of those two broke up the fight between the elves as they turned to face their new aggressors. Rayla knew that it was far too risky to tangle with both of them and if she allowed them to retrieve the prince they would never get another chance at getting him, the humans would make sure of that.

With additional humans no doubt hurrying to the location thanks to the horn Rayla decided that their best means of escape was Lujanne and her phoenix crushing the stone in her pocket, she could only hope Lujanne would get there in time.  
Zaiti was the first to react, driven by anger she took the general head on taking a wild swing as she reached her. The general easily blocked her attack with her shield before attempting to plunge her sword into Zait’s stomach, only to have the movement blocked as a strike from Triz’s staff deflected the blow.

Had it been the day and her more cooled down Zaiti most likely wouldn’t have made such mistakes, but the night had made her sluggish, Triz being the only reason she could keep up.  
Together both elves exchanged blows with the general, Zaiti provided the danger to keep the general focused on her while Triz prevented her from landing any meaningful blow.

Rayla took the opportunity to dash towards the dark mage hoping to stop her before she could cast some foul spell. Unfortunately, the dark mage finished her spell the metal bracelets around her wrists turned into snakes as they slithered off her arms.  
One of them lunged at Rayla, who countered by strking it square in the neck but it only sent the metal snake tumbling onto the ground. The other snake took the opportunity to try wrapping itself around her legs but Rayla quickly rammed her sword into its mouth pinning it to the ground and allowing her to squeeze out of its grip.

Creating some distance between her two opponents she noticed that the dark mage was no longer visible, turning her head slightly she saw her running towards the unconscious Callum. Rayla couldn’t hurt the snakes with her weapons but perhaps the other 2 elves might have something if she could distract the general long enough.

“Zaiti, Triz switch!!!” She yelled to her co hunters. Sprinting towards them she leapt at the general bringing her blades down but just as expected Amaya blocked her strike easily. It wasn’t her intention to actually land a blow, as hurting or worse killing Callum’s family and crush wasn’t the brightest thing to do if she wanted him to like her.  
But the plan worked the other 2 were now free to deal with the snakes, Triz wasted no time drawing the rune of the fuliminis spell in the air before casting it at the snake that was charging towards her. An arc of electricity burst from her hand and connected with the metal snake causing it to burst into shards.

Meanwhile the other snake attempted to wrap Zaiti in its coils, it barely had time to wrap her legs when she grabbed it by the head and with all the anger she could muster she brought her primal power to bear.   
Volcanic veins began appearing across her body causing vapor to form around her as her heated body made contact with the cold midnight air.

The snake thrashed as it tried to free itself but could do nothing against her iron grip as its head began heating up and becoming frailer by the second, a disgusted hateful glare was the last thing it saw as Zaiti raising it as high as she could before smashing its head into ground.  
Its head splattered in a pool of molten metal like an overripe fruit. With the two threats dealt with Zaiti moved back in to assist Rayla following the same strategy she had done with Triz.

Triz meanwhile was free to go after the dark mage who had her hands occupied trying to lift Callum up. Before she could try to free her hands to cast another spell a strike from Triz’s staffed knocked her down. Triz seized the advantage as she jumped onto Claudia putting all of her weight onto the helpless mage and pressed her staff against her throat in an attempt to render her unconscious, Claudia desperately tried to relieve the pressure by pushing back with both hands but all she could accomplish was a stalemate between them.

A shriek in the sky created a pause in the fight as Lujanne riding her phoenix came into view, landing a bit behind Callum.

Seeing their chance Zaiti with a monumentous effort forced her magic to surface for a brief moment allowing her to deliver a blow that sent the human general flying. She and Rayla sprinted towards their salvation with Zaiti hastily tossing the human prince over her shoulder. Both elves quickly jumped onto the phoenix who clearly didn’t want to stay any longer than it needed, flapping its wings it began ascending into the sky out of the humans reach.  
Triz took the opportunity to break away but not before giving the mage a good smack to give her time to escape. Triz jumped to her feet and started running in the direction of the phoenix flapping her wings as hard as she could, with a few beats Triz was also out of reach and in the safety of the sky.

The elves felt a huge sense of relief at their escape, however, they cried victory too soon. A dark chant from Claudia caught their attention who was holding some kind of tentacle. Lunging her arm out an ethereal tentacle sped towards the phoenix wrapping itself around it. 

The phoenix flapped its wings with all of its might but the tentacle began sapping its magic and continued to pull it back towards the dark mage. Amaya was done getting back up and was heading towards Claudia most likely with the intention to intercept any attempt to harm Claudia. Rayla and Zaiti were helpless, none had a ranged weapon or hard object they could throw to break the dark mage’s spell.

Suddenly a something sped towards the mage striking the hand that held the tentacle remains knocking it free from the human’s grasp. It was a boomerang, it seemed Triz had one on her person and threw it at the mage.   
Instantly the ethereal body part vanished into thin air freeing the phoenix who once again rose towards the night sky, good thing too as armed humans with torches and weapons poured into the clearing. Most likely the soldiers that had answered the general’s call but arrived too late, had they been a second slower Rayla was sure that would have been the end of them.

The hate filled glare Amaya gave them would most likely haunt her nightmares, but as the humans grew too small to make out anymore Rayla finally let herself relax.

Despite the complication things had turned out alright, they had their prize, everyone was accounted for with Triz flying besides them and now they were going to safely fly back to Xadia.

“What the hell happened back there? You woke up the entire kingdom of Katolis, what did you do, kidnap the prince.” Lujanne shouted anger pouring from her words.

“Not… exactly, we might have kidnapped… the uh step prince.” Rayla admitted in the hopes of calming down the steaming Lujanne. Even Zaiti seemed intimidated.

“And besides it all ends well doesn’t it? No one died, we got what we were looking for and were flying back to Xadia, yay for us?” Rayla clumsily attempted to downplay how close to death they had gotten.

Lujanne grew even more furious

“You kidnapped human royalty who happen to be related to some of the most dangerous humans in existence that was already risky on its own but on top of that you allowed humans to see you, now all of our operations are in jeopardy! Also whatever that dark mage did to Phoe phoe sapped her strength, I can already tell she won’t be able to get us to Xadia and we no doubt will have the entire kingdom of Katolis searching for us.”

Realization dawned on Zaiti, Triz and Rayla as they saw the phoenix flaps were getting weaker and already they were beginning to lose altitude. It wouldn’t be long before they would be forced to land.

“We now have 2 choices once we land, either we drop the human at the nearest town and hope they give up the chase or we walk back to the border.” Lujanne eyed the youngsters, still angry but forcing herself to calm down and try to find a solution.

For a minute silence reigned as none of the young elves dared to answer. Finally Zaiti broke the silence.

“I think I speak for all of us but I think we should try to make it back to the border. Even if we let the human go I doubt they would stop pursuing us and if we came back empty handed after causing so much trouble we would never be able to live through that shame.”

Her gaze was focused and filled with determination, she really planned to go through with it.  
Triz and Rayla could only answer with a cautious nod to show their agreement.

Sighing Lujanne turned her back to them.

“Very well but you had best prepare youself, it will be a long journey especially while we have to avoid human patrols. Once we land we will need to make an inventory of everything we have.”

Three yes’s in unison came from behind her.  
Although they were determined to see this through they couldn’t help but worry about the journey ahead, no one dared say anything as the phoenix continued to glide through the sky.  
All they could think of was the glare Amaya had given them and the dread they felt at the possibility of them coming face to face with her again.


	5. The journey begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The elves prepare their journey while Katolis prepares their plan of action.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoy this new chapter. Love reading your comments and talking with you guys really helps keep me motivated.
> 
> I took some liberties with how Sarai acted as we didn't get to know her much. Hope it doesn't bother you guys too much.

Everything was dark, no matter how much he moved in one direction Callum saw nothing around himself but pitch black, strangely he could see himself just fine for some reason. He had no idea where he was, all he remembered was waiting for Claudia only to be ambushed by elves, he tried fighting back but something fell on him.  
Now he had no idea where he was, was he dead, dying, under some elf spell? So many thoughts and possibilities raced through Callum’s mind yet none provided the answer he sought.  
Suddenly he heard something.

  
“Hellooo, Wakey wakey”

  
Somewhere in this darkness he heard a woman’s voice, he didn’t know who that voice belonged to but Callum preferred to follow it and hope to have someone to talk to rather than stay alone in this abyss.  
Callum ran as fast as his legs could carry him in the direction he heard the voice, he only hoped that it wasn’t his mind playing tricks on him. Callum ran for what felt like a good 15 minutes, his was gasping for breath, his legs sore from the abuse his lungs burned horribly. He wasn’t even if he actually getting anywhere, in the darkness with no landmarks or any other object to use as a reference telling how far you have run was impossible.

  
“Yoohooo anyone home?”

  
Again the voice called out, his only sliver of hope in this emptiness. This time it was louder, closer and definitely coming from the direction Callum was running in.  
His determination renewed he began running once more his legs begged for more time to rest but Callum couldn’t stand the idea of staying alone here any longer.

  
“Yes, hello over here!” Callum cried out hoping for some sort of response from the mysterious voice. Yet only Callum’s footsteps could be heard in the darkness, undeterred he continued pushing his body further despite feeling like his heart was about to burst. Callum could only cling desperately to the flicker of hope he had found in this complete darkness.

  
Finally in the darkness he could see something, a light so small you could mistake it for a firefly. Wasting no time he rushed towards it, just as he had hoped the light was getting bigger with each step, Callum didn’t care where this led as long as it was out of this emptiness.

  
“Anybody in there? You’re not dead are you?” The voice came from the growing light.

  
Urged on even further Callum shielded his eyes with his arm and charged forward with everything he had.

His upper half was propelled upwards slamming his head into something, gripping his head in pain Callum couldn’t help but cry out. That is if he didn’t have something covering his mouth muffling his screams, his hands felt uncomfortably tight aswell.  
Lowering his gaze he noticed they were tied together with rope and little further down so were his legs, Callum felt defenseless like worm on a fishing hook. Looking around he noticed he no longer was in the clearing where he was waiting for Claudia, surrounded by trees from all sides he guessed he was in a forest, which one he had no idea.

  
Callum’s eyes fell on the figure in front of him, on her knees in right next to his legs was an elf with wings, a skywing from what he remembered. This one he didn’t recognize, maybe she came in after he fell unconscious. Rubbing her forehead she was probably what he collided with, Callum tried talking asking what they wanted with him, who they were, did they do anything to Claudia.

  
Due to the piece of cloth wrapped around his mouth only muffled sounds came out angering Callum further. Noticing his sounds of protest the elf ceased rubbing her sore head and looked up at him, a warm smile crept across her face.  
“Oh good your awake, crazy night eh? Was getting worried you wouldn’t be able to keep that promise you made to me.” She said as she crawled closer he face now a few centimeters away from his.

  
She was practically the only thing in his field of vision, Callum couldn’t help blushing much to the elf’s amusement. This was the first time a girl had gotten so close to him, she wasn’t Claudia but he couldn’t deny she was attractive.  
Chastising himself for thinking that he frowned to show his confusion. What promise was she talking about? This was the first time he ever met her how could he have promised anything to her?

  
“What you don’t remember? You don’t remember that week we spent getting to know each other, falling in love? You promised you would come back to Xadia and marry me. Was it all a lie, did that blow to the head make you forget?!”

  
The elf seemed on the verge of tears, Callum’s mind was in a complete panic. He doesn’t remember ever doing any of that but the elf seems to be certain. Did he really do all that and simply forget? Then what about his feelings for Claudia, there’s no way they would vanish over a single week.

  
Callum could only blankly stare at the elf, his mind racing for some kind of answer. Something yanked the elf away from him. Turning his gaze to the new arrival fear gripped Callum.  
It was the large sunfire elf that had ambushed him. She was dragging the skywing elf by the horn away from him.

  
“OW OW OW. Lay off the horn sister, LAY OFF you’re gonna break it.” The skywing shrieked as she was pulled away by the larger elf.

  
The dark skinned elf tossed the other towards what seemed to be some kind of makeshift camp, supplies were strewn about, beds, water bottles. There he noticed another figure he did not recognize.  
It was another elf, what kind he wasn’t sure but she seemed much older than the others, she has an almost grandmotherly feel to her. Strangely despite clear signs of age one could say that she certainly seems to have aged well.

  
“Don worry ya never did any of that with her, ya met her just yesterday.” A voice came from behind him.

  
Walking around him the voice revealed itself to belong to the first moonshadow elf he had met.  
Crouching down to his height she has a small smile on her face, the kind that was reserved for greeting a friend not a total stranger.

  
“I know it must scary, confusing for you to be suddenly taken from your home and I honestly wish this could have been done another way. So believe me when I say we are doing this because we have no other choice.”

Callum could only glare at the elf, what was she talking about. What would they absolutely need him for that they kidnap him. Was it because he could use primal magic? Was that the reason?

  
“I can tell you have questions so I’ll make you a deal. If you promise not to scream or shout then I’ll take the gag off. Do we have a deal?”

  
A nod from Callum signified his agreement to the terms.  
The elf bent closer to undo the knot bringing her chest dangerously close to his face, once more a blush appeared on his face. It seems the universe itself decided to play embarrass Callum today.  
With the gag undone the elf retreated to her original position and smiled expectantly at him.

  
“What exactly do you need me, a human for? I mean you broke into human territory despite everyone staying on their side for the past decades.”

  
The answer did not come from the elf in front of him but rather the skywing further behind who had been listening from afar.  
As soon as she heard Callum’s question a dirty grin appeared on her face. Raising both hands for Callum to see she used her thumb and index to form a circle with one hand and proceeded to move her other index back and forth through, licking her lips at the same time.

For a few seconds Callum could only frown in confusion at strange motion, enough for the other elf to turn around to look at what had him so interested. Finally the cogs in Callum’s brain connected the dots causing him to stare wide eye with his mouth open in disbelief at what he was seeing. He must have been red as a tomato as he could literally feel himself getting hotter by the second.

  
“Triz seriously!!!” The moonshadow elf shouted.

  
The skywing blew a raspberry in response to her outburst.

Callum looked back at the moonshadow elf, hoping this was another joke from the skywing.

  
Panic began to grip Callum when an embarrassed smile and light blush appeared on her face.

  
“It’s a… crude way of putting it but… she isn’t wrong”

  
“NO NO NO I AM NO…” his protests were cut short as the elf struggled to forced the gag back on.

  
“Sorry to do this but I said no screaming or shouting.” The elf said in a calm but clearly irritated manner.

  
Grabbing a piece of rope the elf tied the arms of the currently thrashing Callum to a tree, preventing any attempts at crawling away.  
Her captive secured she walked back towards the center of the camp throwing an angry glare at Triz.

  
“Great job genius.”

  
“What? At least now he knows what we want with him and can come to terms with it sooner.”

  
“If he ever does”

  
Rayla couldn’t help but worry about what she had said. She really hopes the human will eventually come around as she didn’t want a captive for a husband, she was certain the other 2 felt the same way.

  
“How long do you think it’s gonna take for him to get tired?” Triz asked in an amused tone as she watched the still struggling Callum.

  
“Hmmm, I’d say around 15 minutes”

  
“I’m thinking more around 10 minutes. Wanna wager on who’s right?” Triz offered with a mischievous smile on her face.

Just this once Rayla decided to indulge the skywing.

  
“Alright extra moonberry juice to the one that’s right.”

In Katolis the kingdom was in a complete state of crisis. The step prince Callum had been kidnapped by elves, news had spread fast among the populace and was no doubt going to spread to the neighboring kingdoms soon.  
Within the castle the air was tense, many were afraid of the king who had adopted a permanent scowl since the news was brought before him.

  
Harrow still couldn’t believe it, after having almost lost Callum not long ago Amaya and Claudia barged in tears into what should have been a celebration to announce that elves had kidnapped Callum.  
His heart sank at the news, his mind raced for a million possible reasons as to why the elves would risk coming here and why they would go after Callum.

  
Was it to ransom him, spite, or some nefarious purpose he couldn’t comprehend? Nothing he came up with calmed his fears.  
He knew that his anger scared some of the staff but his paled in comparison to Sarai’s.

  
Harrow still had chills from remembering the scene, when the news had been announced her faced drained itself of any emotion, blank shock plastered across her face.  
Tears began running down her cheeks, with a cracked voice she asked what had happened. The more was explained to her the greater her anger grew, what had started as a demand for answers devolved into a barrage of accusations of the guards doing nothing, even her own sister and Claudia were not spared her rage.

  
The duo hadn’t even been able to form a response too cowed or knowing it wasn’t a good idea to talk back in her state.  
When Sarai grabbed the nearest weapon from a guard too afraid to protest or try to retrieve the weapon and attempted to head for the stables only one person dared to stop her.

  
Amaya grabbed her sister’s hand only to be on the receiving end of a punch straight to the face, her nose bleeding from the impact. Yet Amaya did not loosen her grip.  
Grabbing the remaining arm when it came for another strike Amaya kept an iron grip on her sister who thrashed wildly in response. Harrow had never seen Sarai in such a state, she was lashing out at everyone around her demanding to be released, trying everything to break free of her sister’s vice like grip even resorting to head-butting her.

  
Amaya stood stalwart accepting all blows from her sister, for what seemed like hours Sarai raged like a wild animal. Finally rage gave way to grief and exhaustion, breaking into tears and sobs begging for her son back.  
The sisters left the room Sarai’s barely coherent sobs could still be heard a few minutes after they had left. Finally the room that had frozen in fear came back to life.  
Harrow had ordered a council meeting to discuss what had to be done. With Harrow, Viren, Claudia and the various advisor gathered around the map of the kingdom they attempted to determine where the elves were headed.

Due to having seen the incident first hand Claudia was given the main role in this discussion.

  
“The elves were riding a phoenix but I managed to weaken it greatly before it got away, it definitely won’t have the strength to reach the border. Meaning it will need to land somewhere in Katolis. The elves will either try to go to some secret hideout we don’t know of, or the border and I can imagine everyone knows that if they get across there will be no hope of saving Callum.” Claudia explained with a determination unusual for her personality.

  
“So our best bet would be to find them before they get close to the border.” Viren, her father spoke in a stern tone. From what she could tell he really was concerned for Callum but she didn't know if it was as a person or as a source of learning magic.

  
“But what did they want with prince Callum, was it because he was the first human mage?” one of the advisor spoke out.

“I can’t say for certain what they want with him but they definitely wanted him alive, but if they are cornered I don’t know if that will still apply. We can’t just let anyone go after them.”

  
Finally Harrow spoke.

  
“Claudia is right if the elves think they might lose the prince who knows what they will do.”

  
“If I may suggest something, I know you have your reservations concerning dark magic but I believe that given enough time and some ingredients I can make something that will help locate Callum.” The suggestion came from Viren.

Normally Harrow would have outright rejected the use of dark magic but considering the situation he was willing to use every means at his disposal. However, Dark magic would still be a last resort.

  
“I appreciate your offer Viren but considering elves view dark magic I don’t know if it is a safe option. What we can do is send word to the border to double their patrols, cut off the elves escape route. I also remember Amaya had skilled trackers in her ranks send them to the last known place the phoenix was seen. Also send word to all settlements to keep an eye out as well but not to engage.”

  
Surprisingly Viren didn’t protest and his only response was a firm nod, a far cry from how he would have reacted in the past.

  
“And one final thing, if there is any message from Xadia I am to be informed immediately. Am. I. Clear?”

  
The menace in Harrows tone visibly shocked those gathered but answered with a courteous nod. In any other situation Harrow would have been more lenient, but if there was some ransom or demand from Xadia he would pay it regardless of the cost even if his entourage disagreed.

  
Turning towards the door Harrow left the room in silence. Walking through the large halls of the castle Harrow could only feel emptiness. Callum might not have been his biological son and they might not have had the best relationship but Harrow still viewed him as his own. Every day he would see the young boy up and about, whether it be sketching something, trying to learn about magic, sword fighting or even playing with Ezran he always seemed to brighten the halls with his enthusiasm.

The sound of heels on hard stone could be heard behind him. Turning around he was greeted by the sight of a nervous Claudia.

  
“Is there anything I can do to help Harrow? I can go along with the trackers I can help even the odds against the elves magic.” Claudia hesitantly inquired.

  
“I appreciate and understand your desire to help Claudia considering your relationship with Callum but you are in the same position as Viren.”

  
“But…”

  
“The answer is no Claudia. I am touched by how much you care about my son but I cannot risk you or Viren using dark magic near Callum. If I remember correctly dark magic drains the magic from living creatures to cast spells, well now that Callum is able to use magic what would happen if you lost control near him? My answer is no Claudia and that is final.”

Claudia could only look down in defeat she clearly wanted to say more, to plead her case but deep down she knew it was useless. Harrow turned his back to her and started walking once more towards his chambers. On his way there he passed in front of the boy’s rooms, from Ezran’s room exited Amaya who signed

  
“They are in there” as she passed Harrow.

Pressing his ear against the door he could hear sobs not one but 2 different ones. With a heavy sigh Harrow slowly opened the door to comfort his wife and child.

Night had fallen at the elven camp, with the phoenix having died and began its slow rebirth cycle the occupants had counted their supplies, planned their path and tomorrow morning after a good night’s rest they would set out.  
While the others were busy eating their portions Zaiti grabbed a bowl of the soup they had prepared for the night.

  
This one wasn’t for her as she already had had her share, it was for the fifth occupant. With a bowl firmly in one hand and a spoon in the other she walked over to the now motionless human who was lying with his back turned towards them. Surprisingly he had struggled for 20 minutes making the bet between the other 2 null and void.

  
Crouching down she placed her hand on Callum and gently shaked him hoping to get his attention. With a groan he rolled over to face her, his scowl was adorable to her. It was like an adoraburr trying to act tough.  
Slipping her hand underneath his neck she gently lifted his back up and pressed him up against the tree he was bound to.

  
“I thought you might be hungry.” Zaiti said with a smile.

  
The human answered by turning his head away from her, clearly showing he wasn’t interested.

  
Unfortunately for him his body was more honest, as his stomach growled audibly demanding to be filled. A blush once again appeared on the human’s face, Zaiti found it absolutely adorable, he blushed so easily.

  
“I am not asking you to do something you normally don’t now am I?” she teasingly stated.

  
Slowly the human turned his head back towards her in defeat.

  
“Again no screaming ok?”

  
Zaiti gently tapped his nose like a mother does to a child to gently get her point across.

  
A light nod was all that she needed, taking off the gag she scooped up a portion of the soup and brought it the human’s mouth.

  
“I can eat by myself I’m not a child you know” Callum tried to protest

  
“But in your current state with your hands tied you are about as dexterous as one, and we do not have much soup to spare so no spilling.” Zaiti countered

  
The human pouted but opened his mouth nonetheless allowing Zaiti to feed him. The human chewed with hesitation at first but quickly increased in speed as he savored the flavor, his pouting face turning to face of delight.

  
“Hey this is really good”

  
“Oh you sweet talker” Zaiti warmly scratched the human’s head.

  
For a split second Zaiti saw the human change, his face was one of bliss and for an instant she felt his head press against her hand before he turned back to his pouting face.

This one was a bit warmer and with a hint of embarrassment.

Zaiti struggled to keep a straight face, she knew every person had their preferred pressure points and it seems she had found one of them for Callum. That was something she was going to keep to herself.

  
“Well I’m glad you like it, I made it myself.”

  
Zaiti gave herself a mental pat on the back for having taken all those cooking lessons from her grandmother.  
She scooped up another spoon full and this time when she brought it to the human there was no protest or resistance and if her eyes didn’t deceive her maybe a hint of eagerness.


	6. The long way home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The party sets out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter because being locked up in my house leaves me with pretty much nothing to do for now. Although I will have less time to spend on this soon as I have a project that needs to be done.
> 
> Hope you guys like it, this chapter is more focused on the elven side of things.

Once the sunfire elf had finished feeding him clearly enjoying it much more than she had any right to, she returned with the now empty bowl to the other elves. From the fact that they were packing their things Callum could only guess that they were getting ready to tuck in. However, a small discussion seemed to have broken out between them, being too far away he couldn’t determine exactly what the topic of the conversation was despite his best efforts.

The discussion got more and more heated the elves arguing louder and louder. Finally the sunfire elf stomped her foot curshing the rock that was unfortunate to be in the landing zone. The other elves remained silent as she spoke and whether it be through intimidation or good reasoning they seemed to concede to whatever it was she was saying.

  
With a satisfied smirk she turned towards Callum, walking over in a confident stride that seemed to swing her hips a bit too much for his liking. Towering over him and without a word she undid the rope tying him to the tree, once that was done she proceeded to literally tuck him under her shoulder before walking back to the center of the camp.

  
There on the ground were a series of sleeping bags something Callum secretly was grateful for as the cold of the night was getting too much for him to handle. The young moonshadow elf and the skywing glared at him with what he could only describe as envy and jealousy, for what reason he did not know yet. The older elf only gave him a tender smile and wave, at least she seemed calmer than the rest.  
Something worried Callum though, he only counted 4 sleeping bags. Hesitantly he looked up to his captor.

  
“Umm not meaning to be rude but… Where is my sleeping bag?”

The sunfire elf could only grin at his question.

  
“You’ll be sharing one with me, we only have 4 after all.”

  
What had he done to deserve this, sure most guys would find it envious to be sharing the same sleeping bag as a girl but not one that you didn’t know well, that kidnapped you and could very well crush your bones with a simple hug.  
Callum wordlessly pleaded with his soon to be bedmate, his begging eye clearly amusing her.

  
“It’s either that or you sleep out in the cold. Which I personally don’t think is good for your health.”

  
With no possible counter to her argument Callum could only lower his head in resignation to his fate. The other elves slid into their respective sleeping bags settling in for the night.  
Still bound the elf proceeded to tie the remaining rope to herself before sliding him into the largest sleeping bag, large enough for 2 people to comfortably share. It was right next to the young moonshadow elf, who still glared at them enviously.  
His back against the ground he didn’t dare to move as he felt the elf sliding next to him. There was a surprising amount of room in the sleeping bag, clearly it had been designed for 2 people of her size and not someone a head smaller and scrawny.  
Instinctively he attempted to edge himself the furthest he could from her, however, she was having none of it. Gently sliding one arm under his head and wrapping the other around his waist she gently pulled him towards her while rolling him so that he was face to face with her.

  
Her smile was warm and welcoming, it was clear she fancied him in some way. Normally Callum would have panicked at such a treatment, however, the threat of being gagged once more and the gentle caress she applied to his head kept him from making scene.

  
He didn’t know how she was doing it but the way she caressed his head soothed him, his worries draining away. The best Callum could muster was a simple blush from her attention, her smile grew even warmer at his behavior, she seemed rather happy that he wasn’t protesting anymore.

  
Callum couldn’t bring himself to look away from her, he didn’t want to admit it but she was beautiful. Her dark brown skin contrasted beautifully with her fire colored hair, and contrary to the first impression one might have of her her eyes were filled with nothing but warmth, not a hint of aggression could be seen. Her embrace although powerful was still amazingly gentle, he felt like a newborn being cradled by his mother, safe and secure in her arms.  
If he didn’t have feelings for Claudia and they hadn’t met under these circumstances he could imagine himself falling for her. At the last second he noticed her head was much closer than before to the point that any further and their lips would come into contact, her eyes focused on his lips as she inched hers closer.

  
Jerking his head backwards the elf expression briefly turned to one of sadness before turning to one of embarrassment. Her gaze cast downwards in shame she didn’t even have time to say anything before Callum instinctively rolled over her grip weakened from the event, leaving his back to her. She didn’t even try to grab hold of him again when he rolled out of her hands.  
His heart was pounding like crazy, he cheeks were boiling hot, his breathing hot and heavy.

  
“I almost kissed a girl” Callum whispered to himself in a mix of shock and joy.

  
He didn’t know how to feel about this, on one side her couldn’t deny that he was attracted to her to a degree, if he didn’t have Claudia and they hadn't met under such rough circumstances he most likely would have accepted the kiss but on the other side she was an elf and had kidnapped him from his home and family.

  
Callum couldn’t help but rub his lips almost as if to make sure there indeed hadn’t been any contact, some kind of lipstick mark. A small goofy smile crept across Callum’s face as though about how close he had been.  
A light grinding noise caught his attention, slowly turning his gaze to the neighboring sleeping bag he could see the moonshadow elf, positively red with anger, eyes wide open and her teeth grinding against each other. She looked ready to run up and strangle someone, he wasn’t sure who it would be, him or the elf sleeping next to him.

  
His smile of innocence didn’t seem to appease her one bit, deciding that he would rather be facing the lesser of the two evils he rolled over once again. The sunfire elf had tears running down her cheeks. While Callum was excited in his corner she must have been quietly sobbing to herself at Callum’s sudden rejection.

  
“I’m… I’m sorry, you weren’t saying no so I… I thought you were ok with it. I’m sorry, please don’t hate me.” Her voice shaky, cracked and lacked any of the confidence she had shown up until now.

  
She was just like a scared teenager he had seen several times during breakups, grasping at straws hoping to fix their mistakes. Her hands were wide open as if she wanted to touch Callum but her fear that it might make things worse kept them still.

  
“I’m… sorry too I should have reacted faster before things got… out of hand.” Callum attempted to appease her, trying to take away some of the blame from her.

  
Although it didn’t remove all her worry it was clear that it had some effect as a cautious smile revealed itself.

  
“Can we… just rest and pretend this never happened.” Callum hesitantly offered

  
A joyful nod from her still crying face made her agreement known.

  
“Can… Can I still?” Her hands were once a again close to his waist and face but refused to touch him quite yet. She wanted to hold him like she had in the beginning.

  
Callum thought about it, he had enjoyed the caresses she had given him and although it led to her attempting something more he doubted she would try again considering what had happened.

  
“Sure” Callum whispered with a warm smile

  
The elf almost beamed from Callum’s answer, gently sliding her hands in their original positions, once more he relaxed in her hands allowing his eyes to close.  
It was strangely relieving to know that she seemed to care about his consent considering she helped kidnapped him, he just hoped the others were like her. They clearly weren’t bad elves but something had pushed them to doing this, Callum just hoped he could find out what it was before reaching the border and hopefully find an alternative to this situation.

Zaiti had never been more stressed in her life, none of her mother’s lectures had come close to the mind numbing anxiety she had experienced. She had wanted to get ahead of the other 2, she wanted to make a good real first impression on Callum. It had been going well, she had fed him, gotten him to “accept” sharing a sleeping bag with her and she even got him to allow her to hold him. Not at the level she wanted but for a start it was a very good one.

  
Yet she almost ruined it, the way he had gazed at her, that was the gaze she had wanted to see all her life. Someone that saw her not as Zaiti dawn guard but simply herself, and because she let herself get carried away she almost ruined any chance to win him over. When the human rolled away from her she felt her whole world collapsing, the one thing she wanted not out of duty to her family but because she wanted it herself and she almost lost it.

  
This human was everything she wanted. He wasn’t some boisterous warrior or smith but a scholar, an artist like her but his craft was simply different.  
Sunfire elves were like the sun, beautiful from afar but getting too close would get you burned and those burns would stay for a long time. As such most sunfire elves never offered help spontaneously unless there was some form of gain especially with emotional matters and any grudge made would be almost impossible to be resolved peacefully.

  
Yet this human was the opposite he listened, her payed attention to how she felt, didn’t ask for anything in return, he didn’t hold what she had done against her he even took some blame in her actions, something no sunfire elf would have done. All elves believed somewhere in the world there was a person made for them, a soul mate as some humans put it. There was no way to know beforehand who it was or where he/she was, but it was said that once you came face to face with them you would know. Many compared it to having found your opposite, something to balance your existence.

  
Zaiti was certain she had found hers, she had found her moon, she was the bright prideful sun while Callum was the humble gentle moon. Just like the moon he was a soft soothing light to help you in your darkest hours, a companion you know will always return. Just the idea of being with him calmed her while any thoughts of losing him drove her into a panic.

  
Looking at him sleeping she could only hope that her journey would allow her to lessen the distance between them, unlike the sun and the moon she didn’t want to be in an eternal chase. She knew the other 2 would not back down easily and neither would she, but Zaiti knew the price of being too stubborn and rigid, just like the real moon even if you don’t see them someone else will always be looking at the same moon as you.

At the hunter’s gathering village things had gotten serious. Each phoenix was linked to a metal flower floating in a pond, that flower represented the life of the phoenix. If it sank that phoenix had met its end, and that had just happened the flower of phoenix number 3 sank to the bottom of the pond.

  
Tiadrin and Lain panicked, it was the phoenix Rayla was on. Tiadrin had almost gone into a one woman crusade to go retrieve her daughter, but Lain managed to sooth her claiming Rayla knew how to handle herself. Things only got worse as the other phoenixes started coming back one by one, each carrying the elves and their captive humans.

  
When questioned all they could tell was that last night the kingdom of Katolis awoke like an angry beehive. Guards dramatically increased in numbers and began patrolling in areas they normally left alone, it had gotten far too risky to stick around so the hunters grabbed their targets and quickly evacuated while they still had the chance.

  
Once the roll call was made three hunters were missing, Triz, Zaiti and Rayla alongside their supervisor Lujanne. Messages were sent to Triz’s and Zaiti’s families to keep them informed of the situation.  
Right now things were tense, to take down a phoenix was no simple feat for humans, meaning it couldn’t have been a lone human that got lucky. Meaning it’s possible that their activities have been discovered.

  
The elves were confident the humans wouldn’t be able to do anything even if they did as the dragon king Avizandum guarded the border ferociously. However, considering the scale of damage the dark mage had done with his spell, some feared another human could do the same to the dragon king. None of that mattered to Tiadrin and Lain all they wanted to know was whether their daughter was alright.

  
Within their temporary home the couple were deep in thought, trying to find anyway to confirm their daughter’s safety.

  
“Ethari.” Shouted Tiadrin startling her husband out of his thoughts.

  
“I bet the fucker’s got some eagle arrows we can use.”

  
“It’s a good idea but how would Rayla reply, she doesn’t have a bow” Lain replied being the voice of reason and not bothering to try to keep his wife's swearing under control.

  
“Well maybe her co hunter has a bow, or maybe she can steal one from some humans. Shouldn’t be too much of a challenge for her.”

  
Lain couldn’t help agreeing with his wife, but it would take around half a day to reach the moonshadow village even with their mounts. He just hoped Rayla would still be fine by then, nah what was he thinking his daughter had been taught to be a paragon of a moonshadow elf when on a mission.

  
Cool headed, in control and focused even under the most stressful conditions…. He hoped.

Rayla was pissed, there was no other way to describe her current mood. Ever since the previous night she has been cranky, aggressive and easily provoked lashing out at every little detail.

  
“Zaiti and Callum kissed” Those words repeated themselves inside her head, over and over again the scene ran through her mind.

  
Zaiti and Callum sharing a sleeping bag, then he let her put her hands in those places and then she fucking saw her head get closer to his.  
The final nail in the coffin was when he turned around, that fucking dorky little smile he had pissed her off. She wanted to be the first to make him have that kind of expression and yet Zaiti stole a march on her.  
So much for the human having someone else he liked, not even a day and he’s already hooking up with Zaiti. What was so good about her anyway, sure she had bigger assets and knew how to cook, but Rayla was proud of her legs and she was confident in her massages thanks to her knowledge of the human body. If Zaiti thinks she’s won she’s got another thing coming.

Right now they were walking through the forest to avoid human settlements, they planned on going through the snowy mountains to reach the sea. They would then have to cross it, how they didn’t know how yet but they were confident that with a bit of illusion magic from Lujanne they could pass off as human.

  
Rayla was at the front of the group Zaiti right behind her after her was the human currently being supervised by Triz.

“Supervised” was the wrong word, more like Triz was busy socializing with the human in whatever way she could: jokes, random small talk, flirting.

  
The human was fairly open to her interactions all things considered, most likely that chirpy attitude of hers that got him to open up. Only Callum’s hands were bound, they even had allowed him to remain ungagged due to him cooperating with them and she couldn’t come up with a good enough reason beyond I don’t want him to socialize with you.

  
She wanted to snatch the human’s “leash” from her and show the human she could be friendly too, but they had agreed to take turns in watching the human. Zaiti had him last night, Triz has him for today and Rayla will have him at night. The cycle will be modified each time, everyone will get a turn to interact with him during the day. From her point of view that day couldn’t come fast enough.

  
Callum had tried to ask about the exact reason as to why they decided to kidnap him, Triz of course being Triz was about to babble all about it but Rayla shut her up. Triz of course was peeved at being shut down but fell in line when Rayla mentioned that if she told him and he escaped he could babble all about it to the other humans. Zaiti seemed to be of the same mind but didn’t seem to appreciate her tone.

  
Lujanne on the other hand was miserable and made sure everyone knew it, she constantly complained that she’s too old for this adventure and that she should be at home pranking youngsters. She understood the older elf’s plight and due to being responsible for her plight they had agreed to allow her to have one conception with Callum once they got back to Xadia. (They had to explain to her why a fight had broken out over one single human.)

  
They had been making steady progress, even though they couldn’t go as fast as they had wanted due to Lujanne and the human being unable to keep up. But both were making a clear effort to go as fast as they could, Lujanne out of duty to her fellow elves, but the human she wasn’t sure. He certainly wasn’t eager to get to Xadia but he wasn’t constantly making their life difficult, in fact he seemed more interested in trying to get to know them.

  
For a good 2 hours they marched, the sun was at its peak beating down upon them through the cracks in the trees. While Zaiti seemed more energetique than ever Lujanne and Callum seemed ready to collapse, sweating, their breathing heavy and gasping for air. Despite her anger towards him Rayla wanted to go comfort the human, some part of her was urging her to go to his side. But she knew it was Triz’s turn and butting in would only lead to conflict between the group, something they couldn’t afford in human lands.

  
Sitting down on a rock she jealously gazed at the human. Triz had set him down on a nearby log and tried help him catch his breathe. Lujanne didn’t care and just dropped herself face first onto the forest floor.

  
“That’s it nice deep breathes, in and out. No rushing. There we go. Isn’t that better?” Triz said in calm soothing voice.

  
She had placed one hand on the human’s chest and another on his back, clearly she didn’t need to but she blatantly was making the most of her time with him. The human either didn’t care or was so exhausted that he didn’t have the energy to protest.

  
“Thanks… Um…” Callum just realized he never asked her name or any of the elves for that matter.

  
“Triz call me Triz.” She was definitely eager to get on a first name basis with Callum

  
“And what should I call you? Handsome, good looking? Cutie pie?” Triz teased, enjoying the now bright red human’s flustered reaction at her compliments.

  
“Callum, just Callum.”

  
Before Rayla could try to join the conversation Triz shut her door.

  
“That one on the ground is Lujanne” Pointing at the limp elf who could only muster a halfhearted wave before her arm fell back onto the ground

  
“Is she gonna be okay?” Callum seemed surpisingly worried about her wellbeing considering she was an elf

"Yeah sure she's old but she's a tough old hag, she'll outlive us all and dance on our graves." That comment earned her a middle finger from Lujanne

  
“That big girl over there you shared a bed with last night is Zaiti.”

  
Callum and Zaiti only briefly locked eyes before averting their gaze, a barely visible blush was present on Zaiti’s cheeks.

  
A scowl briefly appeared on Triz’s face before vanishing as she pointed at Rayla.

  
“And that feisty lady over there is Rayla.”

  
“I’ll show you feisty when I make you eat your own feathers.” Rayla muttered under her breath not wanting make herself even less approachable.

  
When the human’s gaze fell on her Rayla once again felt that warmth in her chest, she wanted to answer, she wanted any excuse just to be able to interact with him. That warmth quickly vanished when the human returned to Triz who was busy asking him if he had any allergies or requests for tonight’s dinner.

  
“No don’t look away, just a bit look at me a bit more.” Rayla mentally shouted out, but the human’s attention never returned to her during their break but Rayla was confident that tonight she would have something that would interest the human.

Giving her backpack a quick grope she confirmed it was still there, the human’s sketch book. During their escape she had quickly grabbed his bag and taken anything interesting once they had camped away from the prying eyes of her competitors.  
20 minutes later the group had rested enough and was ready to move out once more, although Lujanne pleaded with Zaiti to be carried who eventually relented to her demands.

For hours they walked and once more fatigue set in. As they arrived at a small lake and the sun began to set they dropped their backpacks and prepared to make camp. Rayla was eager, it was finally her turn to keep guard over Callum. Distracted by her eagerness and her senses numbed by fatigue she failed to react to huge paw that swung towards her.

  
Smashing into her chest Rayla was sent flying before falling into the lake. There she sank, her vision blurry and her body refusing to heed her commands, whatever had hit her hit her hard. Rayla could do nothing but watch as the light of the world above grew dimmer. Was this how she would die? In the element she hated and feared the most? All because she hadn’t followed the instructions her parents had tried so hard to teach her. Her lungs burning she slowly began to consciousness, the last thing she saw before everything went dark was someone diving into the lake and swimming towards her.

  
“Huh maybe there’s hope after all”

Rayla awoke from the darkness only to be greeted by the night sky, a half-moon occupying a small portion of it. She was lying on her sleeping bag her clothes surprisingly dry until she noticed another set of the same clothes near the fire in the center of the camp. With some effort she lifted herself up to assume a sitting position.

  
“Oh good your awake” An annoyingly cheerful voice greeted her. It was Triz.

  
“We thought we lost you for a moment”

  
“What happened?” Inquired Rayla

  
“Well a very angry Banther ambushed us and sent you into the lake. If you wanna how we drove it off let’s just say we sent an angrier banther called Zaiti at it.” Triz ducked as a rock flew pass where her head had been.

“I guess I’ve got you to thank for getting me out of there.” It was only logical, Zaiti was occupied and Lujanne was too old to have accomplished it.

  
“I wish, I could have dangled that debt over you forever. If you want to thank anyone thank Callum.”

  
Callum saved her? Her freaking captive saved her?

  
“Oh yeah he got Luajnne to quickly undo his binds and dove right in after you. He even gave you a nice big smoooochie smooochie to bring you back. Luuucky yoouu.” Triz emphasized her point by kissing the air in an exaggerated fashion.

  
Rayla couldn’t believe it, the very person she kidnapped saved her. Even when it was a golden opportunity for him to run he didn’t take it. She didn’t know how to react leaving her lost in her own thoughts filtering out any of Triz’s commentary. Luckily her mind didn’t filter out the important parts.

  
“Well you seem very busy so I think I’m gonna go feed Callum he’s gotta be starving after a day like that.”

  
Rayla instinctively yanked Triz by the horn.

  
“Ow come on not the horn seriously.” The skywing elf whined at the treatment of her horns.

  
Bringing her face to hers Rayla quickly made a compelling argument to Triz.

  
“Don’t. Even. Think about it.” Rayla had never spoke in such a tone before, but it got her point across.

  
“Ok, ok. You feed Callum and I’ll… go check on my stuff. Sound fair?”

  
Rayla released the terrified elf allowing her to scamper off to her side of the camp.  
Forcing herself to her feet her chest still ached, but from what she could feel nothing was broken.

  
Eyeing the fire in the middle of the camp, she spotted tonight’s dinner. A series of fishes were impaled on a set of stick some were already cooked, other still sizzling over the fire.  
Approaching them she glanced at Zaiti who was busy cooking her own, her only response was to motion her head in the direction of two cooked fishes still on their stakes.

  
Rayla gave her a quick appreciative nod before picking the pair of fried goods. Remembering the treasure she had found she quickly went to her bag who was lying a short distance from the fire. Pulling out Callum’s sketch book and a charcoal pencil she was finally ready, with both fishes in one hand and his belongings in another she looked around the camp for Callum. She didn’t have to search much as he was once more tied to a tree, this time closer to the camp. He seemed dry considering he dove in after her, most likely warmed himself up against the fire.

  
He seemed to be busy looking up at the stars, so much that he seemed a bit startled once he noticed her approach. Having hidden behind her back the hand holding his book his attention was focused on the fried fishes before him.

  
“This ones yours.” Rayla tenderly offered.

  
“Th-Thanks” Callum seemed to still be a bit shaken from today’s events.

  
Setting down next to him they both ate their meals in silence, neither willing to make the first step.  
Once their meal was concluded Rayla finally spoke up.

  
“I’ve uh, got something that belongs to you.”

  
Callum’s eyes lit up at the sight of his sketch book, grabbing it with surprising speed.

  
“My sketch book, I thought I’d never get to see it again.”

  
His child like excitement at a simple book brought a smile to Rayla’s face, she definitely could get used to seeing it more often.

  
“Think I can see some of your drawings?” Rayla inquired, hoping she wasn’t stepping over a line she shouldn’t.

  
“Sure, there’s just some that I can’t show you because…. They are a bit too…. Personal.” Rayla could tell that wasn’t the real reason but decided not to pry further.

  
Bringing the book between them Callum held the book while she turned the pages. He showed her each page, explaining what the drawing was, even when it was painfully obvious. Rayla didn’t mind, it was adorable in a dorky kind of way.  
His book was filled with amazing pieces, ranging from scenery to people. Some she didn’t know others she knew all too well, like the drawing of general Amaya bear hugging Callum. He was quite embarrassed by that one but Rayla was more amazed at seeing the feared general Amaya making that kind of face. There wasn’t a hint of anger in her eyes, just love and affection for her nephew (even if she seemed to be squeezing a bit too hard).

  
They must have been going through the sketch book for a good 10 minutes before Rayla could no longer hold back her yawn.

  
“Sxcuse me. I think I’m going to go get some rest. You’re sharing a sleeping with me this time”

  
“Oh… Ok” Callum almost seemed disappointed, his excitement clearly not completely spent.

  
The face he made tugged at Rayla’s heart.

  
“How about this, if I you give this charcoal here and untie your hands so you can draw, do you promise not to run away?” It was a risk but Rayla was confident that Callum wouldn’t risk it with the possibility of the banther still being around.

  
“You… You serious? I-I mean yes, absolutely. It’s not like I really can go anywhere with that banther still out there.”

  
Undoing the binding and handing over the charcoal pen the human immediately got to work with a surprising amount of enthusiasm  
Rayla couldn’t help but quickly scratch his head, to which he didn’t protest.

  
“That’s for being cute”

  
Taking her chance Rayla quickly planted a kiss on his lips before breaking away.

  
“And that’s for saving me.”

  
Happily humming while heading back to her sleeping bag Rayla couldn’t get the face he made out of her head. It looked like his brain had a total shutdown, only the occasional twitch and blink showing some kind of recovery on his part.  
Rayla slipped into her sleeping bag under the curious gazes of Triz and Zaiti while Lujanne gave her a knowing look.

  
Shutting her eyes she attempted to fall asleep, but strangely couldn’t. She stayed like this for a good 15 minutes, attempting to go to her dream world.  
The sound of careful footsteps informed her of Callum’s approach, gently he attempted to slip into the sleeping bag. Her’s was smaller than Zaiti’s causing him to be slightly pressed up against her no matter what he did, opening one eye she couldn’t help but smile at his clumsy attempts to not wake her up.

  
“Got it out of your system?”

  
Callum clearly hadn’t completely recovered from the kiss she gave him as he failed to look directly at her.

  
“Uh, yeah yeah, I-I did.” His face was bright red like a tomato.

  
Once he was settled in he rolled over so his back was to her. She could have tried wrapping her arm around his waist like Zaiti did, but decided against it as she feared he might have a literal meltdown if she teased him any further.

  
“Well good night, maybe tomorrow you can show me more of your drawings if you’re fine with that.”

  
“S-sure, definitely. Y-you better get some rest considering what happened today.”

  
“Thanks”

  
Closing her eyes she focused on the warmth coming from him, it was nice, it made her feel safe. It was like, like a small sun. Her own little sun to keep her warm and brighten her day.  
As that warmth spread throughout her body her mind finally let go allowing her to drift blissfully off to sleep.


	7. Snowy peaks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang presses on, but so do their pursuers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again all the kind comments, it really helps motivate me to keep writing seeing such a positive reaction.
> 
> Small shout out to Light, your comment was spot on with how the story was gonna go in regards to the phoenix part. Couldn't tell you without spoiling it for everyone else.
> 
> So again hope you guys enjoy this chapter.

It had been 2 days since Callum had been kidnapped, Viren aimlessly paced the halls of the castle. Amaya had departed alongside her group of trackers while word had been sent to the border to increase patrols and to lock down any ports. Harrow was leaving nothing to chance, he was sealing any known way of getting in or out of the kingdom. Viren felt useless, Harrow had been abundantly clear that if he attempted to aid the hunt with dark magic without his consent it would not end well for him. Normally Viren would have felt the need to defend dark magic but his time with Callum had made him reconsider his views.

Before all of this, the relationship between them was… distant to say the least. He didn’t seek to interact with Callum and the feeling was mutual, he had no real opinion on his interest in his daughter as it was her choice to make not his. He had never viewed Callum in high regard as he didn’t seem particularly good at anything, although he had to admit he respected his enthusiasm for anything magical in nature he did find his distaste for dark magic childish however.

This could have gone on forever if that faithful day, where an over eager apprentice accidentally struck Callum with dark magic. Regardless of how he felt about Callum striking royalty demanded punishment, something he was certain would snuff out the over eagerness of that apprentice. A week in the dungeon in the worst conditions possible seemed to have worked, although he was sorely tempted to simply let Sarai reach his apprentice.  
  


For one week Callum’s conditioned had deteriorated, for one week he feared it might be his last day and by extension possibly his and his apprentice as Sarai’s fury was already terrifying he could not imagine what she would be like if they lost Callum.

Yet things took a turn that Viren had never expected, on a stormy night Callum awoke. Not only that but somehow he had become able to use primal magic, something everyone believed to be impossible. Ever since then Viren sought to converse as much as he could with Callum, at first purely out of scientific curiosity but once he discovered that what he had viewed as naivety was in fact a strong determination to persevere, he started to come to Callum not out of desire to try to understand how he had achieved his feat but out of enjoyment of the conversations they had about magic together. Callum had a hard time putting into words what he had experienced but Viren knew that feeling, it was difficult for him to explain how it felt to use dark magic to others. To be honest learning how he had done it had become something of an excuse to chat with Callum. He even became secretly supportive of his crush on his daughter.

Callum had turned out to be a brilliant young man with an exceptional memory and desire to learn, it just had been buried under all his self-doubting. Honestly he had completely changed his view of Callum in that little month, the naïve little boy turned out to have surpassed him in a way that completely proved Viren wrong, dark magic wasn’t the only answer to humans.

When he was informed that he had been kidnapped by elves he was truly enraged, he might have kept an outwards look of calmess but inside he was a blazing fire. He wanted to ride out with the hunters but Harrow had made points he couldn’t counter.

Viren was not used to long journeys and would slow the hunters down, he was nowhere near as stealthy as they were and would most likely alert the elves of their presence. However, one point surpassed the rest by far, he didn’t know how dark magic would react to Callum now.

Dark magic rips out the magic from magical creatures to fuel its own spells, how would it react to Callum now that he could use magic? That was something he could not and would not risk trying out, one moment of distraction was all it took for it to drain the wrong target. Not only out of concern for Callum but also out of fear of Sarai should it turn out badly.

Heading down to his private lab he once more eyed his collection of parts, before they made him feel nothing but pride. Now he felt nothing but doubt and shame, if he had shown Callum’s drive to learn primal magic would he have achieved the same thing as he did? Would it have spared these creatures he harvested? Could it even have allowed some form of reconciliation between humans and elves?

That hope seemed farther every second Callum was absent, if they lost him then they would be back to square one. His only hope was that the trackers would find him quick and that the elves desire to keep him alive remained.

Lost in his thoughts Viren noticed something in the corner of his eye, or rather it was the lack of something that caught his attention. One of his shelves was clearly missing pieces, specifically pieces that could be used for a tracking spell.

Fear began to grip Viren, on his desk was a letter in Claudia’s handwriting.

“Hi dad, sorry to do this but I can’t stand idle like this. I know Harrow said no dark magic but if we leave it to the hunters the elves will have crossed the border by the time they find their trail.

So I decided to borrow a part of your collection, hope you aren’t too mad. But I’m going after Callum I just hope you can forgive me when I get home.”

Damn it Claudia. He knew she had good intentions but the risk was too high, she was acting irresponsibly like he had in the past believing that only he could change things and never put his trust in others. Grabbing the letter Viren rushed up the stairs hoping that he still had enough time to stop this.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At dawn the group had set out once more, it had been Zaiti’s turn to handle Callum during the walk. Their journey to the bottom of the mountains was fairly uneventful, only a few human patrols crossed their path but they were easily avoided. One piece of information they had heard from those patrols that put a wrench in their plans was the lock-down of all ports. With their quickest way of getting to the border gone they needed to come up with a solution.

They had temporarily stopped at the foot of the mountain to work out all their possible options, none of them were good they either took too long or brought them too close to human cities.

Things looked bleak until Lujanne stopped mesmerizing Callum with moon magic and proposed a possible hope. In another mountain a couple of days from this one there once was a moon nexus before the great split, she wasn’t sure if it was still intact after all this time but if it was they could use it to revive her phoenix much faster. What would have taken months could be done in a few days, but again that was if the nexus was still intact.

The girls hesitantly agreed that it was their best bet, and even if the moon nexus is no longer intact they could still hide there and then continue in another direction.

They had tried to keep Callum out of the discussion but he somehow heard the words moon nexus. They began their ascent up the mountain, Triz complained a lot more as she wasn’t use to this since she could just fly over them. Meanwhile Callum constantly barraged Lujanne with questions about the moon nexus, although Zaiti was more than happy to butt in, not wanted to have her time stolen.

The group found Callum’s unbridled curiosity about their culture endearing like a little puppy exploring something new. Of course they didn’t tell him anything that would be considered too dangerous for humans to know, but apart from that whatever question he had they gladly answered.

He also had started sketching each member during their short breaks, they all wanted to see what he already had done but surprisingly he refused to let them see. They had attempted to use the fact that they answered his questions as leverage but his counter argument made sense in a crazy kind of way only known to him.

“Yes you answered my questions completely, which is why I can only show you completed works.”

By then it was clear he wasn’t going to budge and the girls dropped the subject. The climb up the mountain had been particularly slow as Lujanne simply didn’t have it in her to keep going, forcing Zaiti to once more have to carry her. For hours they trekked through whatever safe pathways they could find, all of them were exhausted. Sweating, heaving and panting by the time they reached the top.

With the sun already setting they decided that trying to go down at night was far too risky as a single slip would mean doom for them. Through sheer dumb luck they found a suitable cave to seek shelter for the night, it was large not necessarily comfy but it would suffice.

They had grown trusting of Callum during their short trip, to the point that they could trust him not to try to run away in the middle of the night even if he was left untied. Tonight it was Triz’s turn with Callum, despite the cramped space, they had found a small corner that offered a degree of privacy.

“So you finished with any of those drawings?” Triz asked inquisitively.

She had gotten curious about the book from the moment she saw Rayla give it to him. It clearly wasn’t of elven design so it must have been a personal belonging of his, seeing him draw something in it only made her curiosity worse.

“Well I might have but I can only show you one, I made one for each of you.” Callum replied with a hint of shyness in his voice.

“Oooooh you’re a little charmer aren’t you, already got a little something for each one of us.” Triz couldn’t help but tease Callum, seeing him blush so easily was something she would never get tired of.

Finding themselves some relatively comfortable stone to sit on with the fire they made being the only source of light they had. Callum finally opened the book, there was only one drawing, it was her.

He must have only seen her in that pose for just a minute, yet he got everything down to the last detail. She was viewed from behind, sitting upon a log in the forest, her hands were holding the back of her neck while her wings were spread out. She had intended to show off only for a few moments but that was all he needed to capture every detail. Her wings, her horns, her clothes hell he even got that smug grin of hers, it was all there. It was almost like she was staring at her own reflection at that time.

Seems like the human has got some magic of his own, this was amazing especially considering the short amount of time he had to capture the scene.

“Wow. This is really amazing, why didn’t you tell me you were an artist.”

Callum looked away blushing, even when she is being honest he seems to blush. Since he showed her some of his “magic” she thinks about time she showed him some of hers.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Amaya couldn’t fight off the feeling of dread she felt. Even though they had through some miracle found tracks of the elves and she had seen that the elves wanted Callum alive, Amaya couldn’t keep dark thoughts from creeping into her mind. What if that changed and all they would find was Callum’s lifeless body, or what if the elves managed to get across the border, would they ransom his return?

She wanted answers, but no one could give them. The image of her grief stricken sister plagued her mind, she had to get Callum back no matter what, if she failed she feared her sister would snap completely.

Brought out of her thoughts by Corvus approaching her.

“These tracks are more recent, they seem to be getting slower. If this keeps up we have a good chance of catching up.”

This was the only good news she had since the kidnapping, it was the only hope she could cling to. Her determination renewed they galloped onward, she had failed to save her nephew last time but not this time. This time she would save him no matter what.

Those thoughts resonated with another person who was also tracking the elves. It was Claudia.

She had the same objective in mind but she was taking a different path. With some ingredients from her father’s collection and some of Callum’s hair (don’t ask where she got it) she had crafted a trinket.

This little trinket attached to her neck was a homing device locked onto Callum. It would create a small beam of light in the direction of its target, but it didn’t tell you how far that person was, only the direction. She was confident that with it she would either get to the elves before Amaya or at the same time despite her head start.

She knew Amaya would be mad at her for disobeying orders but this was partially her fault and it was her responsibility to fix it.

Triz had brought him outside, for what he didn’t know as her only answer was “it’s a surprise”.

By this point Callum knew that trying to get any more out of her would be useless, so he could only cooperate and hope for the best.

It was cold outside on the snowy peak of the mountain, but the view was amazing. From here he could actually make out the capital, vast landscape stretched out before him. Even in the dark he could recognize some parts that were illuminated by the moon light.

“Close your eyes and don’t move” Triz ordered

Doing as he was told Callum almost flinched as he felt her arms slither over his waist from behind before he felt something close itself around him.

“Ready?” Triz inquired

Callum didn’t even have time to answer as he suddenly felt himself shoot upwards, he wanted to scream but as he still felt Triz against him he decided to put his trust in her. The sudden elevation made him feel like all his organs were falling downwards, he honestly thought he was going to throw up for a second.

No sooner had that feeling begun that it ceased.

“Now open your eyes” Triz commanded

As Callum did so the view that greeted him was breathtaking, he was high up in the sky everything seemed so small from up here, from the forests to even the large capital. Even the mountain looked a good deal smaller. He was so high he could actually touch passing clouds.

If this is what flying felt like, he could understand why someone would indulge in it whenever they could. He felt like he could go wherever he wanted, that nothing could stop him. No more annoying royal responsibilities just the joy of flying through the sky.

“This is amazing” Callum cried out

“I know right? Nothing but open skies, pure freedom. You showed me some magic from your book, I wanted to show you some magic of my own.” Triz agreed.

For a while nothing was said, Triz simply allowed Callum to enjoy the view at his leisure. Finally, however, she broke that silence.

“Although, it can get lonely up here. It would be nice to have someone share this sky with. Sure friends are nice but you end up wanting someone that’s more, you know what I’m saying?”

“Not-not really no, I mean this is the first time flying so I don’t have much experience.”

“Fair point, but imagine this: You’ve been flying all alone in this big sky for a while and you start wanting some company. Sure your friends can help with that, but eventually they drift on with their own lives leaving you alone once more.

So you end up wanting someone that means more and stays with you. Someone that will always fly with you, and once you are done dancing in the sky you know he will be there with you on the ground. Something like birds do with their mates.”

“You mean like an eagle?”

“Yeah like an eagle, they mate for life. They become each other’s anchor because they know that they will always be there in the sky for each other. Can’t help but find that romantic.”

“I-I guess” Callum wasn’t sure where this was going and he was no expert on birds either.

They must have flown for barely 20-30 minutes but up there Callum felt like he had been flying for hours. As he noticed Triz getting tired she returned to the mountain and gracefully landed on the white snow.

Freeing Callum from the rope he almost fell over as his legs hadn’t completely recovered from all the excitement, luckily Triz caught him.

Turning to face Triz, Callum wanted to thank her for the amazing experience but a finger against his lips shut down his attempt.

“There was a reason I talked to you about being lonely in the sky. Can you guess why?” Triz playfully inquired

“Be-because you want me to fly with you?”

Triz pushed her head forward, pressing her lips against Callum’s. The kiss lasted barely 2 seconds but to Callum it felt like an eternity. Pulling away Triz amorously smiled at Callum.

“Bingo”

“Um but, I don’t have wings you know, so I don’t really see how I could...” Callum attempted to protest

An amused smile appeared on Triz.

“That might not always be the case.”

As Callum tried to make sense of what she had just said Triz happily skipped back towards the cave.

“Hey, hey wait what did you mean by that?”

“I’ll tell you when you’re older” Triz playfully joked back

Sighing Callum could only follow her back to the cave knowing he wouldn’t be getting anything out of her.

As he entered the slightly warmer cave two things had caught his attention.

For one there was a small bunch of oddly shaped arrows, clearly of elven design. Rayla was also holding a piece of paper, a message of some kind.

The second thing he noticed was the fiery glare Zaiti currently sported and this time it wasn’t aimed at Triz, but him. There was no doubt about that. What exactly he had done to earn her ire he had no idea.

“Oh an eagle arrow, who’s it from?” Triz inquired

“It’s from mah parent’s the’re askin if I’m ok and where I am, they even sent a a few for us to keep them updated. Already sent a reply while you were gone. I borrowed your bow ta do it.” Rayla calmly answered

From her reaction Triz didn’t seem too bothered that Rayla went through her stuff, most likely because she understood the importance of keeping their family informed.

“Sorry but what exactly is an eagle arrow?” Callum hesitantly butted in.

“It’s a special kind of arrow that lets you send a message to someone as long as you know their name, no matter where they are.”

Callum thought it was really cool, but another thought crawled into his head. Could he use it to tell his mom he is fine?

Before he could ask he stopped himself, the elves would most likely answer with a no and would put their guard up once more if he talked about anything that could potentially be seen as an escape attempt. He just hoped they would trust him enough to do so in the future.

Fatigue chased those thoughts away, knowing the drill he didn’t object or hesitate about sharing a bag with Triz.

No sooner had he slipped inside alongside her that she promptly wrapped her arms around him and rubbed her face against his chest.

Callum couldn’t do anything, he knew she would do it regardless of what he said and considering it’s her sleeping bag arguing with her might not be the best option.

Ignoring the glares from the other 2, Callum finally allowed himself to drift off to sleep as the excitement of today finally caught up with him.

Suddenly a bright light disturbed him. Opening his eyes he found himself in the black abyss from before, only this time a small circle of light shined around him.

Stranger still it was covered by some kind of transparent substance, like soap bubble resting on the ground.

At least it wasn’t all dark this time, he would most likely have to tolerate this until he woke up.

Before he could think of something to occupy himself a steady rhythmic noise grabbed his attention. There were 4 different sources coming from 4 different directions, like footsteps of someone walking in a puddle.

Each one was slightly different but all followed the same rhythm.

Fear gripped Callum as he had no idea what was in here with him despite it being in his head, he didn’t even have anything to defend himself with.

Steadily the noise crept closer and closer, his heart rate increasing each second. Finally the source of the sound revealed itself as a figure stepped out of the shadows.

It was Rayla. What she was doing here he had no idea, checking to his left he saw Zaiti and to his right Triz. Each eyed him amorously, pressing themselves against the bubble but seemingly unable to get through it. Callum couldn't make sense of what he was seeing.

“Getting awfully affectionate with your kidnappers Callum, did I mean that little to you?” A familiar voice called out from behind.

Slowly turning around the person he saw made his heart sink.

It was Claudia glaring at him arms crossed.

This was going to be a very unpleasant dream. 


	8. Shining bright

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Callum has a talk inside his mind, the group continues and its time for Zaiti to shine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you guys go. I couldn't stand leaving you too long after a cliffhanger like that so I squeezed some time to write this up. Hope you like it.  
> Again thanks for all the support and positive comments, I really appreciate it. It really makes my day to know that this story found its audience.

“Claudia, wh-what are you doing here?” Callum stuttered in surprise

“Don’t you Claudia me mister, I see how you look at those elves. If you like them so much you can stay with them.” Claudia turned around walking away.

“Claudia, please wait I-I can explain please.” Callum shouted before she could disappear into the darkness.

She froze, Callum tried finding the right words to explain but he didn’t even know where to start.

Before he could utter a single word Claudia turned around bursting in laughter. Callum could only stare, confused at the sudden change in mood.

“Oh man you should have seen the look on your face.” Claudia said as she wiped the tears around her eyes.

Now sporting a more serious face Claudia spoke.

“So to answer any question you might have, this is the gist of it. I’m not the “Claudia Claudia”” she said as she air quoted.

“Think of me as her deepest desires of sorts, like her soul, basically she linked herself to you like those three over there did. I can’t influence her or relay what you say quite yet, that comes later, but what I can do is tell you how she really feels. Let me tell you man she wants you baaaadd.”

“Wait wait wait, what do you mean connected?” Callum interrupted.

“You didn’t know? Alright basically this little black space is your heart kind of empty right now because you have yet to fully connect with anyone in body and soul but that’ll change once you do. That little white circle you’re in is the most intimate part of your soul, your core basically. Now the elves make an “entrance” of sorts with some magic, but they can’t get further unless you let them. Claudia did it barely a few hours ago by making some trinket to find you. Those three can’t get in because you haven’t opened to that degree quite yet but I on the other hand can do this.”

Claudia hopped into the sphere, unhindered by the barrier unlike the elves. Callum stared wide eyed as Claudia got very close to him.

“See I can get in here because you’ve opened up and trust Claudia more than the elves. But considering how things are going I think this little circle might get a little cramped.”

Claudia’s explanations only confused Callum further, he had so many questions. What magic was she talking about, when did it happen, why weren’t the elves talking like her, Claudia was trying to find him?

Before he could even utter a single question something seemed to have caught Claudia’s attention as she looked upwards.

“Well looks like our times already up, a little word of advice I suggest you make up your mind quickly, if you don’t things could end badly for everyone.”

“Wait wait I have so many questions” Callum cried as a bright light began engulfing the area.

“See ya some other time Callum.” Claudia happily waved.

They had departed as soon as the first rays of the sun blessed the ground, no one had slept particularly well but Callum seemed to have not gotten any rest. It worried Zaiti, she was still miffed that he had accepted a kiss from the other 2 girls (why else would they be so happy) but refused hers.

Initially she blamed him, thinking he had a preference for smaller girls, but when she thought back to it, it was logical he had been taken aback by her advances. He had just been kidnapped, barely gotten to know them and most likely the mood simply wasn’t right.

Her jealousy and anger was still there but rather than be a blazing fire it was a more like a pile of smoldering embers. Right now her main concern was Callum, the way he walked was unsteady, he continuously failed to walk straight always deviating from his path before readjusting, gone was the never ending barrage of questions about Xadia and their culture.

She had asked him if he was alright and he had replied he was fine, but the tone in his voice said otherwise. Still she knew better than to push the issue further, the best she could hope for is that he didn’t do anything that could threaten his well being. Slowly and cautiously they went down the mountain, the uneven ground and multiple holes hidden by the snow had considerably slowed their progress, but it was progress nonetheless.

It took them around 2 hours to make it half way down the mountain, the party eager for some easier ground to tread upon. Suddenly a rumble behind them caused them to freeze, this was definitely not an earthquake it was something much worse.

Turning around a cascade of falling snow hurtling towards them caused them to double time it downwards, they knew they couldn’t outrun it but some of the rocks further down were big enough to provide cover.

Zaiti wanted to grab Callum and run but Lujanne was much slower than he was, grabbing her and propping her over her shoulder Zaiti ran with all her might. The rocks were still too far and she could hear the avalanche closing in fast, Triz could have tried to pick Rayla up and fly away but the distance between them and the avalanche had closed too quickly to attempt it.

Callum was slightly ahead of her despite his fatigue while Rayla and Triz were the furthest, suddenly Callum stopped and turned around. Zaiit carried by her momentum failed to react by trying to grab him, grinding herself to a halt she attempted to quickly get the crazy human.

“Aspiro” Callum shouted after drawing the rune in the air

A torrent of wind came from his mouth colliding with the mass of snow, like a hot knife through butter the wind split the avalanche in half causing it to barrel past the group. For a few seconds the thunderous noise of tons of snow plowing through the landscape deafened their ears.

Zaiti was impressed with his quick thinking, unfortunately the avalanche had more breath than he did and Triz was too stunned to react in those precious few seconds. His breath having run out of fuel caused the aspiro spell to cease, allowing the snow to return full force. Time seemed to slow down for Zaiti

Zaiti could only watch as the snow engulfed Callum before charging towards her, turning her back to the oncoming tide she gripped Lujanne and held her as close to her chest as she could hoping to soften the impact for the older elf. The avalanche collided with her knocking the breath out of her and carrying her with the snow.

Zaiti couldn’t make heads or tail of where she was and what was up or down but that didn’t matter, she couldn't let go of Lujanne. Numerous branches and stones impacted with Zaiti but she withered the storm of blows like a wall of iron.

Being inside the avalanche must have lasted only a few seconds but the confusion of her senses made her lose track of time. Finally it stopped, Lujanne was still firmly within her grasp, sporting only a few bruises with Zaiti having taken the brunt of it.

Buried under the snow she called upon her primal source focusing it on her back causing the snow to rapidly melt from the intense heat. In a few seconds the sky was once more visible, looking around Zaiti noticed that the avalanche seemed to have carried them a fair distance down the mountain.

Receding her power she propped Lujanne on top of the snow before climbing out herself.

“RAYLA, TRIZ, CALLUM” Zaiti called for her party members.

Silence was her answer, Zaiti called out once more.

Bursting from the snow Rayla emerged, she seemed to have had more luck than Zaiti as she had only one or two small cuts from some branches. Running to her compatriot Zaiti helped her free herself completely from the snow. A blast of lighting revealed Triz’s location as she flew out of her hole.

The only missing member was Callum, the girls cried out his name hoping he would hear them.

They called out for several minutes using their connection to him to inch in his direction, but the signal flickered in and out of existence meaning Callum was in a bad state. Each minute increasing their desperation.

Finally a second blast of lighting helped them home in on Callum who was a bit further down than the rest of the group.

Rushing towards the new hole their joy quickly turned to horror. It was indeed Callum but his clothes were torn revealing he was covered in bruises and cuts from which blood was seeping out of. What’s worse his left leg was twisted in a way that was not natural. He was conscious but barely, too weak to even beg for help he could only look up at them and plead with his eyes.

Zaiti quickly jumped into the hole, gently she slipped her hands under his knees and back. Bridal carrying him out the hole, the girls panicked as none of them were versed in the art of healing. Zaiti had learned the healing sun form from her mother but she was far from proficient with it and the sun was not at its peak yet, but from how weak he was and the state of his injuries they couldn’t risk waiting here. They needed to find a doctor fast, the avalanche had brought some good with it as they were now practically at the bottom of the mountain and in the distance they could see a human village. But if they brought him there the humans would most definitely try to stop them, luckily for them Lujanne took charge.

With a look of determination she pulled her bag off Zaiti who had been carrying it for her, from within she pulled out a moon stone pendant something that can help maintain any illusion she casts even when she is no longer there.

Placing it around Zaiti’s neck she began chanting, white magical particles enveloped Callum and Zaiti hiding them from view.

When the magic vanished Zaiti had an additional finger on her hands, her horns were gone, her hair had turned black and her ears were round.  
Callum’s hair had become black and slightly messier, his green eyes became sky blue, his clothes turned into a simple red shirt and brown pants much less “regal” than what he wore before. He looked nothing like before.

Continuing her chanting the particles began grouping up once more, slowly they formed into the shape of a white horse with a saddle.

Her job finished Lujanne collapsed with Rayla supporting her.

“Your illusions will last as long as you wear that stone, but the horse will only last for a few hours. Use it to cover as much distance as you can but I’m afraid you will have to run the rest of the way. Don’t worry about us we will catch up later.” Lujanne weakly said.

Wasting no time Zaiti leapt onto the horse and placed Callum in front of her knowing he was too weak to properly hold onto her. Galloping towards the human village Zait’s frustration only increased with each moment, she felt like they weren’t going fast enough. Even as the landscape sped past her and the frigid wind blew against her she still felt too slow, whipping the illusions reigns did nothing to help. She wanted shout and scream at the world for making her so slow but doing so would risk making Callum fall off. Worryingly looking at his face she could see he had lost consciousness, his skin had become paler and his breathing weaker, even through her clothes she could feel how cold he was.

Looking at the rising sun who had finally gotten off the horizon but was still nowhere near its peak leaving her unable to try using her healing form. She cursed him for being so slow, he actually was hindering her progress as his rays began to make the horse lose its form, slowly fading in and out of existence. She must have been riding for a good hour.

With an abrupt pop the horse vanished completely, grabbing Callum and spinning herself around she used her back to shield him from the impact. Rolling onto her feet she kept her momentum bridal carrying Callum towards the town, ignoring the ache in her back and legs she kept running.

Finally after 10 more minutes of running she finally reached the town, sweating and out of breath. The villagers threw shocked glances at the sight before them.

“YOU, where is the nearest doctor!!” Demanded Zaiti from a terrified villager

“Just down this street third building on the left with a cross sign can’t miss it.”

Not even bothering to thank him she charged down the street knocking anyone stupid enough or not fast enough to get out of her way. Bursting through the door she shouted.

“I need a doctor this is an emergency!”

The humans inside reacted with panic at the sudden intrusion but the man in charge quickly recovered as he saw Callum.

“Put him on the bed here, what happened to him?” The doctor questioned Zaiti

“We got caught in an avalanche, he got the worst of it.”

“An avalanche, it’s a miracle he’s still holding on. I need to work would you please leave us.”

Zaiti was forced to comply, she wanted to protest, to say she could help, but deep down she knew she would only get in the way.

Walking out of the building Zaiti sat down on an empty bench, there she could only wait and hope.

With nothing to do time slowed to a crawl, seconds felt like minutes, minutes felt like hours. Every single worst possible scenario raced through her mind, would he end up crippled, in a coma, dead. None of them were good in her mind, she could only bury her head in her hands and cry.

Finally after an hour a ray of hope shined, the nurse had come out of the building. Unable to contain herself she charged and grabbed her.

“How is he? Please tell me he is okay.” Zaiti demanded to know practically in tears.

“Don’t worry miss, his life isn’t in any danger. You got really lucky the cold slowed down the bleeding so much or else he wouldn’t have made it. The cuts and bruises will disappear on their own but the leg will require several months to fully recover.”

All the tension that had built up left her body causing Zaiti to fall to her knees hugging the nurse’s waist.

“Miss please take a seat you’re making a scene.” The nurse urged Zaiti back up guiding her back to the bench.

Once seated Zaiti could only laugh and cry at how lucky they had been and how close they came to losing Callum. She couldn't imagine what his aunt and mother were feeling right now considering they most likely thought they lost him.

“The young man is really lucky to have a girlfriend like you, you must have carried him quite the distance if he got caught in an avalanche. The only mountain nearby is the one over there” the nurse pointed at the mountain Zaiti had come from.

That word snapped Zaiti out of sorrow.

“We-we’re not together.” Zaiti hastily corrected the human but being careful not to give too much information.

“Well I’ve seen plenty of people worried about friends and family but the way you looked at him I can tell you see him as more than a friend.”

Zaiti was speechless, she wasn’t used to this, being dissected like that by others. Yet this human was blatantly doing so.

“Soooo, how did you two meet?”

The human wasn’t letting up, Zaiti had never met a person that pried into her private life so much, most were too intimidated to try.

“I-I met Kyle when we uh-bumped into each other in the uh-forest. We just got to know each other after that.” Zaiti made sure to leave out the important details, make up an alternate name for Callum and just hoped the human’s curiosity would be satisfied.

“oooooooh romantic first meeting in the woods, all alone with nobody watching just the two of you.”

“We weren’t alone… there were… are, 2 other girls.” Zaiti hesitantly corrected

An excited squee caused Zaiti to turn towards the human girl. With her hand on her cheeks and an excited smile on her face it was clear she was enjoying this, why Zaiti had no idea.

“Im sorry I’m a sucker for difficult romances. So he’s flirting with 2 other ladies despite having a girl like you, cheeky little bugger isn’t he.”

“We-we are kind of the ones courting him. He… doesn’t really have a say in the matter.”

“Oooooohh, then he must be quite the catch if you’re competing that much over him.”

A warm smile crept across Zaiti’s lips.

“He is, he listens to me, he sees me for who I am and even when I go too fast or mess up he forgives me. Although… I think I might have taken too much of a delay in the race for him… The other 2 have already kissed him, when I tried when we first met he… he backed out.”

A pang of pain resonated in her heart, like a piece of it was being torn. She had to face the situation as it was, the others had accomplished what she failed to do. Maybe they just weren't meant to be.

A pair of hands grabbed her cheeks and forced her to look at the human, her face now sporting a much angrier look, her eyebrows furrowed.

“You think a little kiss is enough to seal the deal? Is that it, girl until you cross that finish line with a ring on your finger you are never out of that race do you hear me? So what if you didn't get a kiss on the first date, you carried him across god knows how many miles to save his life if you really thought you didn’t have a chance of winning him over then you wouldn’t have been so desperate. Right now, he needs rest and he needs someone to keep him company.”

Grabbing her by the arm she lifted her from the bench and started pushing her towards the doctor’s office. Although if Zaiti honestly tried to resist she wouldn’t be going anywhere.

“You’re a big strong girl, you’re clearly in love with the boy, you have a very special moment for just the two of you, so buckle up put your game face on and get in there.”

The human continued to push her into the building until they came upon a set of curtains isolating a part of the building.

With a final push she shoved Zaiti inside.

“Go for it.” With those final words the human hurriedly left.

In the corner of the wall was a bed, upon it lay Callum illuminated by the rays coming from the window next to him, he was unconscious and weak but alive. He was covered in bandaged to keep his wounds closed, his skin was still a little pale but not as much as before. His clothes were neatly folded on a table next to the bed leaving him only in a pair of shorts provided by the hospital although his bandages covered most of his body.

The sight of him in such a state made her heart sink, he was like this because of them. If they hadn’t taken him from his home he never would have ended up like this. She knows it was her duty to keep their race going but was it really right to take them from their homes like this.

An impact on the back of her head snapped her out trance. It was the bloody human again, she had thrown a small ball of paper at her, she still sported that angry look and from how she was pointing at Zaiti then to Callum it was clear what she was demanding.

Zaiti shot back an angry glare of her own but conceded that Callum needed someone to help him through this. Sitting on the side of the bed, she gently rubbed his hand, it was cold.

Weakly Callum’s eyes finally opened.

“Hey, how are you feeling Kyle?” Zaiti warmly whispered rubbing his cold cheek

Callum briefly stared confused at her before his exhausted brain made the connection that using his actual name might give him away. A smile spread itself across his lips.

“I feel like I got run over by a banther.” Callum weakly replied, his voice barely louder than a whisper

“I think a banther would have done less damage.”

“Hahah ow ow ow, don’t make me laugh my entire body hurts. Where are we anyway?” Callum inquired as he sat up.

“You’re in a hospital, with some help from Lujanne I carried you to this village. The doctor’s said you’re leg will recover given enough time.”

Callum spared a quick glance at his broken leg under the covers but was too weak to panic from what he had seen.

“Wow, from what I remember the village was still quite far. It must have taken a lot of effort for you to get me here. Thanks Zaiti.”

Zaiti couldn’t help but blush at the compliments, his eyes gazed at her, even though she preferred the original green his eyes still had the mesmerizing effect. Her body reacted on its own, her emotions snatching control from her rational mind, leaning forwards and wrapping her arms around him she pulled him into a gentle hug.

“I couldn’t let you die, especially since you haven’t shown me that sketch of me you are working on.” She joked

A playful snort was Callum’s only answer before he reciprocated her hug. This was nice, she could feel the warmth of her primal source seeping into Callum. It wouldn’t heal his injuries but it would help warm him up.

Movement coming from the window caught her attention, it was the god damn nurse again.

She was pointing at her lips and making exaggerated kissing motions.

Zaiti glared angrily at her, causing to throw up her hands in the air as if to say “fine you don’t want my help.”

She was angry at the human but she was right, she needed to seize her chance or it would slip away forever.

“Callum can I tell you something very… personal.” She hesitantly asked

“Um, sure I’m all ears.” Callum replied

Separating herself from him but leaving her hands on his shoulders, she sat on her knees on the bed gazing into his eyes. A deep breath filled her lunges as she prepared to open herself to him.

“As much as I find this adorable I would greatly appreciate if you did this elsewhere, teenagers tend to get too caught up in their emotions after a life and death situation leading to a strong desire for intimacy. Speaking of which I strongly do not recommend it considering that applying too much weight to his bones could break some and I just had this bed cleaned.”

The sudden intrusion made Zaiti swallow the words that were about to come out, whipping around she saw the doctor staring at them in a deadpan expression.

She must have been blushing like crazy and so did Callum.

“If you youngsters want some privacy I recommend the inn, the hospital isn’t the place for it. Your good to go young man, your condition is stable and nothing was broken apart from your leg so I urge you to rest, no “taxing exercises” or else your wounds will open up, I mean it.”

Zaiti couldn’t even formulate a reply her mind was in complete panic mode.

The doctor left to tend to his other patients, Zaiti out of panic hastily helped Callum put on his clothes and helped him slowly rise to his feet by allowing him to use her shoulder as a support.

The nurse once again appeared offering Zaiti a pair of crutches.

“This is to help him walk around so you don’t have to carry him all the time.”

“And this is for the inn tonight” she whispered as she slipped Zaiti a handful of coins.

Before Zaiti could protest the nurse urged them outside onto the streets.

The pair stood silently for a few seconds too stunned by the doctor’s embarrassing words.

“So Kyle, do- do you want to go rest at the inn.” Zaiti stuttered

“Yeah, yeah I think it would be a good idea” Callum replied unable to look at her in the eye.

Luckily for them the inn was a little further down the street, it was a simple building with no extravagant colors or decorations. It was the epitome of an average inn.

With Callum’s condition the walk took a good 10 minutes instead of the single minute it would have taken if they could walk normally. Yet Zaiti did not complain, every step of the way she allowed him to move at his own pace her hands ready to catch him should he lose balance.

The scene garnered them a couple of warm gazes from the passing humans, in their eyes it must have looked like a girlfriend helping her injured boyfriend walk around the town.

She ignored those gazes as right now Callum demanded her full attention. Finally reaching the inn and entering she took in the sight. It had a desk in front of the entrance, on the right was a series of tables and chairs while on the left was a set of stairs and what was most likely the door to the kitchen. She rang the bell at the reception, a large well-built black haired human with a large beard revealed himself from a door behind the desk.

“What can I get you?” He inquired with a surprisingly warm smile and voice unfitting of his physique.

“We would like a room for today please.” Zaiti answered, Callum needed to save his energy so she spoke for him. She just hoped her slight elven accent wouldn't be noticed.

Placing the 6 coins the nurse gave them on the desk the human took only 3.

“Bah what kind of monster would I be to make you pay for your boyfriend considering the state he is in. I’ll make an exception for today but if you stay longer I’m gonna have to start charging you. Food will be available later today you can come pick it up then, just this once it’s on the house.”

Zaiti could only gratefully bow at the human’s generosity.

“Carmen help these 2 youngsters to their room would you.” The human shouted

“Coming” a feminine voice could be heard before a blond haired human woman emerged from the same door with a key in her hand and stopped in front of the duo.

A warm smile was plastered on her face.

“If you two young ones would follow me” She said as she turned towards the stairs.

The duo followed her at a snail’s pace, yet she showed incredible patience and even watched them with a tender gaze. Zaiti appreciated her tolerance to their situation but something about the way she smiled reminded her of the nurse.

Walking down a hall that had a series of doors they arrived at the furthest one.

“This is the most secluded room we have, you won’t be bothered in here.”

“Thank you Miss Carmen.”

“Oh nonsense lassie I’m just doing my job.”

Without another word the woman used a key to unlock the door before giving it to Zaiti.

“Don’t forget to give it back before you leave.”

Without another word the woman happily walked away allowing Zaiti and Callum to enter and get settled.

The room was simple to say the least, a set of 2 beds, a small night table, a set of cupboards and a door that led to what she assumed was the bathroom.

Helping Callum to the bed she slowly lowered him onto it.

Feeling the rays of the sun at its peak enter she felt her power surge. Confident that she could attempt to at least heal his cuts she spoke.

“Callum can I try something, I’m not confident enough to try on your leg but I can help heal the small cuts you have.”

“Well I don’t really see why not, not like it could get worse.” He half joked.

“I… I need you take of your clothes, I need to t-touch your skin directly for it to work.”

Surprisingly Callum didn’t seem too fazed by this, most likely eased into it from the hospital and just too weak to mount a resistance. Removing his shirt and pants he was once more in his shorts, slowly Zaiti helped removed the bandages except for those on his left leg. The cuts had ceased to bleed and were stitched closed by wires, their size was very varied, some were small cuts like the ones you do accidentally with a piece of paper while others covered much larger areas. Zaiti silently gasped at the sight, a torrent of guilt tried to force its way into her heart but she drove it back down and focused on the task at hand.

Zaiti crawled onto the bed pushing the pillow out of the way as she rested on her knees facing Callum. Gently clutching his head she guided him to lie down on the bed allowing his head to rest on her legs.

Focusing she felt the power of the sun rise in her hands, slowly her hands began to glow a gentle yellow.

Callum seemed slightly hesitant at the unknown magic although there still was that hint of excitement in his eye.

“Do you trust me?” Zaiti asked

“I do” Callum confidently answered.

Bringing her hands down around his head she began her work, she began massaging his head, the light from her hands seeped into Callum causing the cuts to glow. Slowly but surely they began to disappear, almost as if they never had been there. The small ones vanished instantly but the larger ones took more time.

Zaiti continued to massage his head for a minute or 2 before all the cuts had vanished, slowly she glided her hands down to his chest where the large scars were more abundant. Callum was completely relaxed, there wasn’t a hint of tension in his body, his eyes shut as he lost himself in her caress. Even her contact with his bare chest did not bring him out of his trance.

Zaiti continue treating Callum, both parties completely silent. Finally Zaiti broke that silence.

“Callum, what I wanted to say back at the hospital was…” Zaiti paused as the words remained clogged in her throat.

A small “mhm?” from Callum showing she had his attention gave her the confidence to continue.

“It’s that I love you. I’ve loved you for a long time, I had years ago hired moonshadow elves to find a partner for myself and when they came back with news of you I quickly noticed how similar our lives are. We both were just a part of our families, we weren’t Callum and Zaiti we were the Katolis step prince and the dawnguard heir.”

Callum opened his eyes locking his gaze with Zaiti, but made no motion to interrupt her nor was there any hint of disgust on his face.

“I started looking more and more into you and I realized you were everything I wanted. You were kind, humble, brave and passionate, you were always ready to forgive past mistakes and willing to mend any you made. You would always try your best to help those in need even if you didn’t have anything to gain from it. I want you not because you can use magic, that you are a prince or that you meet my family’s standards, I want you because I love you Callum, I really do.”

Zaiti breathed heavily as if she had done an intense workout, but all she had done was reveal her feelings to the boy she liked. Callum for his part said nothing, only a warm smile etched across his face told her what he thought of her confession.

They both stared at each other for a brief few seconds before Zaiti lowered her head toward Callum’s. This time he did not back away, her lips locked with his. Her entire body felt cool, the unbearable heat she was feeling before seeped into Callum. Her hands continued their massage but with a hint of desire in the way they caressed his chest, yet Callum did not protest.

Breaking away from the kiss to catch her breath Zaiti stared at Callum, a light blush was present on his face, yet the warm smile he previously had had only grown larger. She wanted more but rather than be consumed by her desires she was in control, she knew what she wanted and she would go for it at her own pace rather than rush. Going back for more Zaiti was relieved to see him accept it again, he did not try to stop her or break away, he accepted her show of affection over and over again. Each time she sought to catch her breath his smile made her crave more and each time he accepted it. This cycle must have repeated itself ten times, on the tenth break off Zaiti stared into Callum’s eyes her body didn’t desire more, her desire for affection satisfied Callum once more closed his eyes and allowed Zaiti to continue healing his wounds.

Silently she continued the treatment, a warm loving smile upon her face the entire time. She had laid herself bare to him and he had accepted her, both her body and mind were content with this. There would be another time for more, right now Callum’s recovery took priority and that’s what she focused on.

Outside the door two women had their heads pressed against it, it was the nurse and Carmen.

“Can you hear anything?” Carmen whispered.

“No mom not anymore. Grrr why did they have to speak so softly I couldn’t hear what they were saying.” Answered the nurse.

A pair of hands gripped their ears slightly tugging them away from the door, the girls held their cries not wanting to risk interrupting the two guests.

“How many times do I have to tell you two. Stop eavesdropping on couples like this. Now why don’t we go back down and leave the two love birds alone.” The inn keeper whispered as he began dragging away the two girls.

Now far enough from the room the women began to whine.

“Jake honey please, you know I can’t resist listening on young couples, I can’t fight it.” Whined Carmen

“Please dad, just this once those two are adorable together and the poor girl has got some competition, I need to make sure she seizes her chance before it’s too late.”

“I swear you two are far too alike.” Grumbled Jake

Ignoring the pleas of his two captives he guided them downstairs once more, hoping the ruckus hadn’t disturbed the youngsters. Luckily for him Zaiti and Callum were too lost in each other to notice the noise.


	9. On the move again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang is near their objective, meanwhile someone else begins to make plans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tada here you go guys. Hope you like it, this one is a bit shorter and briefer than the others because its mostly a means of setting up the next chapter who is going to allow me to go at a more "relaxed" pace.
> 
> Again would love to hear your thoughts on it. Hope you like the new characters introduced.

Night had fallen on the quiet human town, the various residents had retreated to their homes to rest. Guards began their patrols with uncommon determination and vigour, the news of the kidnapping of the step prince still on their mind.

Jake was busy counting today’s profits when the door to his inn swung open. In walked three women carrying backpacks, one young slender looking teenager with shoulder length white hair and violet eye, one elderly woman whom time had clearly been generous with her white like the youngster next to her, finally there was another teenager, brown hair in a ponytail, bright blue eyes.

All three of them wore rather simple clothes and were of pink complexion.

“Hey were looking for our friend Zaiti, doctor said she would be here. Big girl, dark skin a butt the size of a…” The brown haired youngster excitedly said.

“Up the stairs room at the end of the hall.” Jake quickly butted in not wanting this conversation to go any longer than it needed to.

“Thank you sir.” The elderly woman replied with a small bow before depositing 9 coins on to the desk after which the group headed up the stairs.

His daughter had said there were 2 other girls after that boy. He couldn’t tell if he was lucky or unlucky. They were indeed gorgeous but that look in their eyes, oh man he could tell they wouldn’t be dissuaded easily. They were like a predator after its prey and they wanted a piece of him.

He silently wished the boy luck, he was gonna need it.

The group arrived before the specified door, gently opening it the sight before them left them speechless. On the bed was Callum lying on his back in his shorts his body still sporting numerous scars but clearly less than before, snuggled to his right was Zaiti. Her head was resting on Callum’s chest a small smile across her face, one arm draped over his waist almost as if she was holding her favorite plushy. She still had all her clothes on so nothing too intimate happened but, from the way her leg was slightly intertwined with his and gently rubbing against him even in her sleep gave hints that “something” did happen.

“Dibs on the left side” Triz quietly exclaimed dashing towards the bed.

Before she could reach it though Lujanne grabbed her by the arm.

“Let them sleep, they clearly had a rough day. Right now I just want to rest, it’s been a long day.” Lujanne ordered.

Deciding to not push her luck Triz complied

“Not sleeping on the floor.” Rayla said

“Not it.” Lujanne followed

“Hey that’s not fair.” Whined Triz who had been too busy sulking to react fast enough.

Rayla wasted no time flopping onto the bed while still making sure Lujanne had enough space to lie down. She stared at the sleeping duo, her feelings were torn at the sight. On one hand she was grateful for Zaiti for saving Callum and she was secretly glad that she managed to get closer to him. Yet another part of her was worried, she felt that even though they were equal in regards to what show of affection Callum accepted, she felt that emotionally Zaiti was the closest to Callum.

She would be lying if she said she wasn’t jealous, she desperately wanted to do the same thing Zaiti was. But she knew that just trying out of the blue would be more than just awkward. Seeing them like that reminded her of the talk she had with Triz on the way here.

They had talked about how things would go once they got back to Xadia, what would happen with Callum. They were all on good terms with him, but he still seemed far from certain about having a “favorite”. This left her worried, what if in the end Callum chooses one of the other 2, what would she have left?

Apparently Triz felt the same way and had offered a compromise, there was a special rule in cases similar to this one.

If multiple elves have claim to the same human and the human doesn’t choose anyone then with the consent of all involved parties there can be an attempt at a “shared ownership” of said human. It was a very rough around the edges rule but it seemed to offer the best solution.

Triz had made it clear that she would have preferred to have Callum for herself but that possibility of being separated from him for good haunted her thoughts. She initially had chased Callum due to him being a sky mage, but as she got to know him she fell in love with him bit by bit. She even had come to hate the idea of Rayla and Zaiti being forced to come back empty handed, she saw how they looked at him and with everything they had experienced together she couldn’t stand the idea of making it all for nothing for them.

Rayla understood what Triz felt and she agreed that that rule was their best bet at making sure everyone got something out of this journey. The duo had agreed to it, now they needed to get Zaiti involved without letting Callum know. She was pretty sure Zaiti would agree to it, the main problem would be their families.

She was certain her mom would fight to get her sole custody of Callum, Zaiti’s family would most likely do everything in their power to get Callum to choose Zaiti, however, she had no idea how Triz’s family would be and she refused to talk about them.

“Even if we get back to Xadia looks like our troubles are far from over” Sighed Rayla

Maybe sending a shadow hawk arrow after talking to Zaiti to keep everyone and maybe give them some time to try to find some common ground.

Deciding that all the thinking could be done tomorrow Rayla shut her eyes and allowed her exhaustion to take over.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

This was the worst day of Meran’s life, she was a trusted servant of the dawn guard family. One that served with distinction and pride, her job was records keeper and manager of messages serving directly under Zeranya the current head of the household. She was a fairly thin sunfire elf never having felt comfortable with a sword and preferring the company of books and documents, she had brown skin, a black neck length hair, dark red horns typical of her race but shorter than normal. She was the very definition of “average” physically, her true value lay in her ability to organize and maintain an information network, even with the dozens of messages and reports she receives daily she swims through the sea of information with ease.

2 days ago she had informed her about the situation concerning her daughter and her “hunt”, it had been met with powerful and calm voice Zeranya was confident her daughter could handle getting back to Xadia on her own but the shame of failing her hunt would leave a stain on the family name.

1 day ago she had received more news from a message concerning a shadowhawk sent back by the missing hunters. When she explained the prize her daughter had caught her expression had at first been one of disbelief and shock, but the quickly turned to one of maternal pride. A human that had the potential to connect to all primal sources, that was indeed a prize worth getting into so much trouble for. A human like that would easily wash away any shame the incident might bring, she was also confident that her daughter could win the human over even with her competitors and even if she didn’t by the time they reached Xadia she was confident that what her family had to offer would seal the deal for the human.

Meran had almost never seen Zeranya that happy before, she was a stern but fair woman showing favor only to those that showed results no exceptions made even for her daughter. That unfortunately had somewhat strained their relationship as they never connected as mother and daughter something Meran knew Zaiti strongly desired but rather they had bonded as head of house and heir.

Now she had to announce news she knew her mistress would not like, at all. Walking down the halls bright halls of the mansion parchment in hand, she filtered speech after speech through her mind looking for the one that would mitigate her mistress’s anger the most. She ignored the curious glances of the other servants bustling through the halls, what she was about to face demanded her full concentration to not run away.

Mentally she hoped her walk would take longer or even last forever but reality is cruel, she was already at the door of her lady’s bedroom when it opened and out came Zeff. He was her lady’s husband, a human turned elf from several years ago, he had short brown hair from his human days, a small set of red horns, four fingers like an elf, brown skin and was of average build.

He didn’t seem to notice Meran until he closed the door behind him and from the blush he had she could guess he had been intimate with the lady. Personally Meran didn’t care he was a former human or not, he was a nice and friendly person although a bit cowardly especially towards his wife’s wishes. He was the kind of person that preferred to avoid conflict

“Oh um sorry Meran, did-didn’t see you there. Um Zeranya’s inside” Zeff quickly said, embarrassed he quickly vacated the premises.

With a heavy sigh Meran slowly pushed the door open into her’s mistress’s bedroom, the room was large and lavishly decorated. Against the left corner of the room was a large bed clearly made for more than 2 people, various artworks and portraits covered the walls, sculptures of family members were lined up against the walls, a large fire place against the wall opposite of the door warmed the room and finally on the very right was a gargantuan window that allowed the sun to shine through when at its peak.

There gazing out the window was Zeranya, idly holding a cup of wine, she wore only her set of red lingerie. According to her she didn’t care that people gazed at her, she compared it to how people gaze at the sun, it is something they can long for and look up to all their lives but they will never touch it, that and she just feels the sun more when she is less covered. Meran found it very embarrassing but it was ultimately the lady’s choice so she didn’t bring it up again.

Zeranya was huge by any standards, she easily stood a head taller than her already impressive daughter, her body sculpted with muscle from her years of military service. Long red hair reached her back and a set of large and impressive red horns adorned her head. Her skin was as brown as any other sunfire elf and her golden eyes felt like they burned through peoples souls when they focused on someone. One could also quite clearly see where Zaiti got her figure, many women would kill to be as lucky, and Zaiti was still growing in every way, god knows how big she is going to get.

“What news do you bring Meran” Zeranya aske without bothering to turn around, the voice was warm and a clear smile across her face.

She was clearly in a very good mood, probably why she had suddenly wanted some intimacy with her husband.

“Well your daughter and her party might have found a way to return home faster than before, they are attempting to see if they can’t revive their phoenix at the abandoned moon nexus. If they cannot they plan to simply continue to the border on foot.” Meran replied trying to emphasize on the good news as much as she could.

“Very good, anything else.”

“Well there is something else, your daughter has made a request concerning the treatment of the Katolis prince she is bringing.”

“Whatever she requests can easily be granted, if she wants better treatment for him right from the get go I do not see why not. After all a rare flower deserves to be cherished.”

“Ummm, it’s not… that she wants. She has requested... shared custody of the human with the other 2 hunters in her party.” Meran felt like her heart was about to burst from uttering those words.

The sound of a cup hitting the ground signaled the beginning of the trouble.

“She. Did. What?” Zeranya rhetorically asked clearly not expecting an actual answer.

“Just when I thought she was finally growing up and now she does something like this.”

Meran wanted to run as she could already feel her mistress’s temper ready to burst already, but she knew that fleeing the room would only make things worse.

A heavy inhale came from Zeranya, Meran could sense her anger was still there but it was more subdued than before.

“Meran I want you to find any bit of information on her 2 co hunters, family, wealth, relationships everything. I want to know what we are up against. Also get my twin tailed inferno tooth tiger ready along with my best guards, we are heading to the hunter’s village. We are going there and putting a stop to this nonsense before it gets out of hand”

“Yes mistress right away” Meran didn’t need any other excuse to leave the room, but even though the storm had been avoided for now she knew it could very well resurge once more.

\--------------------------------------------------------------

The group had set out in the morning under the amused innkeeper’s eye, according to Lujanne the moon nexus was up the mountain a short distance away from the town. Before setting out they had taken Zaiti aside to talk to her about their “solution”, at first she was fiercely against it but when they mentioned how there was always the possibility that he would choose someone else and how it would make her feel, she quickly came around to their point of view. Also the fact that she would be subjecting the duo to that feeling if he did pick her, she might not have liked them in the beginning but their adventure had brought them closer together.

Their secret pact done they had agreed to send a shadowhawk to inform their families of the development.

Callum was in no shape to trek up a mountain on his own so they had to rely on Zaiti to carry him, strapping him to her back he seemed somewhat embarrassed by being forced to “ride” her as Triz put it. But with no alternative Callum could only bear it in silence, what’s worse is that normally the other 2 would have scolded or shut Triz up but this time they laughed alongside her.

He didn’t like this one bit, before they had been “friends” if you could call them that but kept their distance. Now that was gone, they joked about things they normally wouldn’t and while normally he would have only one of them to talk to during the day now all three seemed eager to talk with him.

Part of it was nice as he felt some invisible tension had been lifted allowing him to ask all kinds of questions about magic of different kinds and their various cultures, but the way they flanked from almost all side made him feel like a rabbit surrounded by hungry wolves.

This mountain was much easier to climb, the slope being much more gradual and the lack of snow also made things easier. The giant leeches could have been a problem if there wasn’t a trio of armed elves ready to hand it its slimy rear on a silver platter.

As a result the trip up was going smoothly and was mostly filled with small talk and jokes between them, almost like a group of friends hanging out together. Of course there was the occasional leech beat down but those were few in numbers. However, Callum knew how Zaiti felt about him with how she had confessed the night before, he didn’t know how to react.

She was a bright friendly and reliable girl that could also lock you in an inescapable bear hug if she wanted to, but Callum couldn’t answer. He wasn’t stupid, he remembered his previous nights with the other 2 and he knew they felt the same way, it didn’t take a genius to figure that out. He had been too scared to give any of them a clear answer not just because they were all amazing in their own way and he couldn’t make up his mind but also because he was afraid that showing favor to one of them might create hostilities in the group. He had seen firsthand how scorned girls could with the person they feel “stole” their lover, if they got like that he was certain they would never open up to him again and refuse whatever solution he could propose to what caused them to kidnap him in the first place just to spite him and the other girls.

A few hours later the sun was at its peak and they had covered three quarters of the mountain, the group stopped once more. Gently putting Callum on the ground, Zaiti crouched down to his level eyeing his broken leg. It was entirely covered in bandages and had 2 planks of wood attached to its sides by rope forcing it to stay straight helping the healing process. Once more her hands began to glow brightly.

Massaging his leg and letting her magic seep into him, he could feel the bone slowly fixing itself. He even felt some of the magic creep up his body to the remaining scars he had on his chest. Magic really was amazing. He was sorely tempted to try to move his broken leg just to test it out, but the look Zaiti gave him when he thought of it made it clear there would be consequences if he did.

Normally the other 2 girls would have looked at him with jealousy but kept from acting on it, finding something else to do. Now they were eagerly watching Zaiti while happily chatting with Callum, Zaiti didn’t even complain and simply focused on her work while still occasionally adding to the conversation.

This little break lasted an hour or 2 before they got on the move again, from what he understood Zaiti could only use her power when the sun was at its peak. He personally found it fascinating how their strength changed depending on how present their source was at any given time, magic really was full of mysteries, something he hoped to one day explore.

The remaining distance to reach the top of the mountain was a cake walk compared to the previous mountain. In less than an hour they had reached the top, yet Callum didn’t see anything. All he saw was the usual swampy landscape they had seen up until now, he wasn’t sure what the elves were hoping to find but it seemed like it wasn’t there.

A sudden chant from Lujanne as she drew a rune in the air caught his attention, once the rune was finished she cast it towards the swampy area they were surveying. Slowly he saw things beginning to appear, buildings of elven design revealed themselves.

This must have been hidden under the nose of Katolis for god knows how long and they never found it thanks to this illusion. Callum couldn’t believe how magic could hide all this, it was almost a small village with a couple of buildings scattered across the area.

“Welcome to the moon nexus.” Lujanne announced

The group walked towards a large building in the center of the area, pushing the doors open Callum was amazed by what they saw. He expected an old dusty building due to it being abandoned yet the furniture was impeccable almost like it was brand new. He counted 1 large bed, a table and a set of chairs. They must also have had some kind of magic placed upon them. He wanted so badly to ask Lujanne what spell was used but before he could ask she cut him off.

“Well girls, I’m going to check on the moon nexus itself although from the fact that the spell held it must be in good condition. I’ll see about speeding up Phoe phoe’s recovery, why don’t you girls get settled in it’s going to still take a day or 2.”

With that said Lujanne walked off leaving Callum with the other 3 elves who set about dropping their stuff around the building and checking every corner for anything that could be useful. Callum had wanted to help but Zaiti had set him down on the bed.

“You don’t move, right now you focus on resting and letting that leg heal. I mean it.” Zaiti told him with a stern look to emphasize how serious she was.

“I’ll leave you your sketch book to keep yourself busy.” She putting his book on the bed along with a charcoal pen.

Once she had departed Callum was left alone in the bedroom as Zaiti had closed the door, from what he could hear they had gone to check the other buildings for supplies.

With nothing else to do Callum set about sketching everything he had seen. The buildings, the giant leeches, the girls fighting said giant leeches, the rooms, he also finished the drawing of each girl he hadn’t had the time to finish.

When he finally pried himself from his work to look out the window he saw that it was night. How long had he been sketching? It must have been at least a couple of hours as the sun was still up last time he had checked.

“I guess all the excitement got the better of me.” Callum said to himself

The bedroom door slowly inched open revealing the three girls eyeing him in a way he wasn’t sure he liked, Rayla and Triz’s hands were hidden behind their backs, even worse.

“What are you girls up to?” Callum cautiously inquired.

“Well we thought it was very brave of you saving us from the avalanche.” Rayla said

“And we found this lotion that can apparently help heal small wounds.” Triz added, holding up a bottle of some kind.

Callum didn’t like where this was going, the girls were slowly approaching the bed, Triz from the right and Rayla from the left. There was an almost predatory feel to the way they moved and looked at him, almost like a pack of predators closing in to seal their prey’s fate.

“So we thought why not give it to Callum, he really needs.” Rayla teased

“But then we thought of something even better, why not help him apply it everywhere.” Triz exclaimed

The girls were crawling onto the bed, their movements slow but graceful.

Callum could feel his entire body heat up, he could see what they were suggesting. He knew that whatever he said wouldn’t matter to them so he grasped at the only salvation he could find.

“I-I can put it on my own right Zaiti? I’m not so crippled I can’t do it myself” Callum said, she had been the voice of reason and authority up until now, he hoped she would do so again.

“I agree Callum, but I think it would be a very relaxing experience if you let them do it for you.” Zaiti said with a teasing tone, Callum’s heart stopped as Zaiti began closing the door locking him in with the other 2.

His only means of escaping gone Callum resorted to desperate measures.

“Any-any chance we could talk about this?”

The two elves looked at each other with a devilish grin before looking back at Callum.

“Not. A. Chance.” They said in unison.

“Are we going to do this the easy way or the hard way?” Rayla added in a teasing tone.

Well like his aunt Amaya said there are battles you can win and some that you can’t.

This was definitely one he wasn’t going to win.


	10. Hot and bothered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girls make their move, however, they aren't the only ones on the move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, nothing quite sexual just yet (as Rayla explains it in the chapter I follow horror movie rules.) but the girls do make the most of their opportunity.  
> Also just the idea of them trying anything while Callum has a broken leg just felt weird and I didn't feel like he was comfortable enough emotionally to consent to the whole thing.
> 
> Hope you guys like it, tried to make it as detailed and erotic as I could. Again thoughts and feedback are welcome.

The dragon prince population problems

Chapter 10: Hot and bothered

Callum couldn’t decide if he was in heaven or hell. Once the girls had made their intent clear and the fact that he clearly had no say in the matter Callum decided that it would be more prudent to give in lest they tear his clothes apart.

They had given him a small pair of white shorts telling him to change into it, apparently it was common to wear it among elves when receiving a massage. Of course he demanded they wait outside while he changes, they vehemently refused saying he might try to hide or run away if they did. He knew it was bullshit as he hadn’t made any escape attempts nor was he in a state to do so, but the girls wouldn’t budge.

A compromise was reached, the girls would turn around and stare at the wall while Callum quickly got changed. Multiple times he caught them trying to turn their heads back a bit, after the third time the threat of making this session a nightmare for them got them to behave.

Finally changed Callum was bare except for his white shorts, he had messages before but those were done by professionals not elves that were not being discreet about getting an eyeful of him.

Lying on his stomach upon the bed facing away from the approaching girls, he could only stare at the wall and tense up as he heard their footsteps getting closer to the bed, every step caused his heart to beat faster. Finally he felt the shift of the mattress as the girls climbed back on, a sudden weight on his lower back signified one of the girls had propped herself over him, her knees acting as support lessened the weight but he knew she was there.

He wanted to see which one it was but the fear of them seeing his embarrassed face held him back. Callum braced himself for contact, he didn’t know what they had planned but the looks they had given him didn’t reassure him.

He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, his body temperature was rising every second, the fact that they were dragging this out only made it worse as he prepared himself for contact that wasn’t coming.

Finally a set of cool moist hands pressed themselves across his back, slowly they began sliding up to his neck before going back down. The relief it brought to his wounds combined with the gentle sensation of the hands against his skin caused Callum to relax, closing his eyes as he focused on the sensation with a smile across his face. The hands trailed back down his back before setting themselves a bit further apart before beginning to ascend again, this time they reached his shoulders. Slowly they slithered onto his arms down onto his elbows before finally rubbing every corner of his hands.

He didn’t want to admit it but after what he has been through being pampered like this was nice, he could just relax and enjoy the ride. The hands made their way back to his neck, gently rubbing. Callum was in heaven as he could feel all his pent up stress just melt away in those hands.

Suddenly the thumbs pressed down on his neck, the sensation felt amazing and of such intensity that a pleasure filled moan escaped his lips. Callum could only slap his hand against his mouth once he realized the noise he had made.

His face grew red and hot from the embarrassment, he could hear his heart pounding in his chest. He didn’t dare move, he could only hope the girls don’t take it too badly.

“Well looks like someone’s have a good time.” Triz appeared in the corner of his left eye. A big dumb smile across her lips.

“Oooooh look at how he’s blushing, he likes it but doesn’t want to admit it.”

Callum wanted to bury his face into the bed to hide his shame, but doing so would mean admitting guilt. Mustering what little courage he had left he stared at the wall in front of him.

“Does he now? Then I guess I should do it more, like… right here.” Rayla’s voice came from above

Her thumbs pressed down on his lower back, the pressure once more rising to an unbearable degree eliciting a whimper from Callum as he tried to act tough.

“Awwww he’s trying to hold it in. Callum you don’t have to you know, it’s meant to help you evacuate aaaallll that stress.” Triz said as she laid in front of Callum in a bowing kind of position leaving her face right in front of his.

Rayla’s thumbs pushed their way up against his spine the sensation leaving Callum holding his breath his teeth clenching his teeth holding down the moan that craved to get out. The higher Rayla went the higher the pressure he felt rose, the second she released his body went limp as all his energy vanished in one go.

His breathing was heavy and frantic, easily heard by the girls.

“Callum you really should stop clenching up like that, it’s bad for you and it’ll make this feel way better. Besides we’re only getting started.” Rayla exclaimed

Callum’s heart filled itself with dread at those words, if this was just the beginning how the hell would he be able to keep his resistance up and he was fairly certain Triz would not remain on the sidelines for much longer.

Defeated Callum went limp as Rayla focused on his shoulder, rotating her thumbs in a circular motion Callum couldn’t stop the dumb smile that forced its way onto his face.

“ooooh I think he’s given in Rayla. Look at the adorable face.” Triz exclaimed

“Yeah I felt it, all nice and relaxed.” Rayla concurred

Again and again Rayla pressed down on his back, shoulders and arms each one eliciting a lustful gasp or moan from Callum. Finally the assault ceased and he felt her weight be lifted from his back. Finally that pleasurable hell ended.

Those thoughts were quickly dashed as the duo rotated him onto his back, too weak to resist he could only look forward to more and hope it ends soon.

Once settled in Triz took Rayla’s place on top of Callum, staring down at him with a smile she raises her oily hands before slowly bringing them down onto his bare chest. His skin shivered at the contact.

“I normally would have done your legs while Rayla did the top but, considering its best to leave your legs alone we’re sharing the top.” Triz licked her lips as she said those words.

“Mercy.” Callum weakly uttered.

“Sorry Callum, no quarter, no mercy.” Triz said with an evil grin on her face.

Just like Rayla she first caressed his entire body covering it with the lotion. Callum was too tired to even protest in any way and simply allowed her to do as she pleases.

Once that was done she took out from her pocket two squishy looking orbs with what looked like stubby little legs on the bottom, they looked like bubbles made out of wool filled with some kind of liquid. He couldn’t help but cast an inquisitive look at the strange objects.

“It’s a little family secret, you’re going to love this next part. But you gotta trust me.” Triz explained.

She began chanting the fulminis spell but added a word he didn’t quite catch at the end. Rather than the usual crackling thunder bolt in one hand what formed was a small ball of electricity in each orb.

The “legs” began to fidget and convulse as the electricity sparked inside them. Slowly Triz began lowering the orbs towards Callum, who couldn’t help but tense up preparing himself for whatever jolt of electricity he would receive.

Yet nothing like that ever came, what Callum felt was a gentle vibration from the orbs while the “legs” rubbed and massaged his skin. It was like a thousand little hand massaging his skin, for the first few seconds Callum could only stare in confusion at the strange new sensation, quickly he got used to it allowing his head to fall back onto the bed. His eyes closed once more as he relaxed once more, the orbs started on his stomach and following a circular motion they inched upwards, over chest then reaching his neck.

“See unlike rough Rayla over here my method is super gentle.” Triz joked

“Don’t push it Triz or I’ll show rough.”

Triz laughed at the empty threat and focused on Callum, gliding up his neck she guided the orbs over his chin and onto his cheeks. Callum was in paradise this was amazing, none of the masseurs he went to were ever able to do something remotely similar.

It felt good, too good in fact once it reached his ears. His body temperature wasn’t the only rising at the moment, for whatever reason the way it touched his ears felt… arousing.

He just quietly hoped Triz wouldn’t notice his rising erection, of course as the universe would have it that wouldn’t be the case.

“Uh oh what is this? Is that what I think it is poking at my butt Callum? Enjoying this a bit too much?” Triz barraged him with teases, even pushing her rear backwards causing Callum’s erection to bump against her bosom.

He could only look away in embarrassment, his body burnt up even more at her words.

“Need a little help taking care of it?” Triz inquired as one hand slowly inched downwards.

Before things went further Rayla stepped in.

“Triz we agreed nothing like that until we were safely back in Xadia and his leg was fixed. It always like that in scary stories, have sex when the danger is still out there and that’s when it gets you.”

“Aaaaw but look at him, I can’t leave him hanging like that can I?”

“Triz, don’t make me step in.”

“Fine fine, sorry Callum looks like you’ll have to bear with it.” Triz sounded genuinely disappointed.

Callum mentally thanked Rayla for intervening as he wasn’t confident he would have been able to say no if she pressed the issue.

“Alright last part Callum;”

Triz pressed her hands on the side of his head and squeezed. The little “legs” seemed to massage even harder than before, he didn’t know how but he felt like they were sapping his energy. He didn’t want to move, he didn’t even want to keep his eyes open.

Minutes passed and Triz finally let go, but Callum’s energy didn’t return he felt he was on the verge of falling asleep.

“So Callum how was it?” The girls asked in unison.

“It was amazing” Callum mumbled, barely audible. A content smile on his face as he felt his consciousness begin to fade.

“Ooh looks like someones gonna go to bed, don’t mind if I do.” Triz exclaimed as she lied down to Callum’s left.

“Scooch over I need some room.” Rayla slid onto Callum’s right

Both girls had their arms wrapped around Callium, he normally would have protested but right now he just didn’t care. Was he getting used to this, maybe, was it a bad thing he had no idea.

Right now all that mattered was sleeping and that’s what he did, he didn’t care he had 2 very attractive ladies sharing his bed, or that he was only wearing shorts or that his body was heated up like a furnace or even that he still had an erection. He just was too damn exhausted to care.

\---------------------------------------

Amaya was on the verge of snapping, they had followed the tracks of their quarry up the mountain. However, the tracks suddenly ended only a large mass of snow and cracked wood lay around them. It was clear an avalanche had occurred and that the group had been caught in it. They were now desperately looking for any sign of their survival.

They had, but not the one they had hoped for. They had found 4 holes in the snow partially covered by new fresh snow. Meaning four people emerged from that avalanche, there should have been 5, 4 elves alongside Callum.

Worse one hole still had traces of frozen blood, whoever had come out was injured. Thankfully Corvus discovered the tracks once more, there were 5 set of footprints, 4 that belonged to a humanoid and one that belonged without a doubt to a horse.

Where the horse had come from she had no idea but one set of footprints ended where the horse prints began. Along with the slight amount of blood that trailed and the fact that these tracks were older Corvus deduced that the wounded individual had been carried on horseback alongside someone else, the remaining 3 walked.

Her heart calmed itself at the news, this meant all were accounted for. However, the trail of blood worried her, was it Callum or one of the elves that remained to be answered. On the horizon she saw a village, if they needed to treat someone that would be the place they would go.

With a shout from Amaya the group galloped towards the village, she hoped that this incident had slowed them down enough that they could catch up.

On her end Claudia had been forced to a halt, Amaya’s group had slowed down due to needing to find tracks, she knew Callum was still alive so the avalanche didn’t worry her. But she couldn’t sneak past the hunters without being spotted, especially not the vigilante Corvus or the high strung Amaya.

The wide open fields that followed the mountain wouldn’t allow her much cover either, she was forced to stay behind them. It frustrated her to no end, she knew where Callum was and she knew he was alive but despite her better search method her progress was grinded to a halt by Amaya.

With a deep breath she calmed herself and just hoped that the elves didn’t have a means of escaping, the direction they took made little sense, it wasn’t towards the border and there were other less crowded paths they could have taken, yet they headed towards that mountain.

Her thoughts crammed with whatever possible reasons the elves might have for going to that mountain Claudia silently followed behind Amaya’s group.

\-----------------------------------------------------

“God damn it Callum, hey piss off pointy ears he’s mine.”

Callum awoke with a startle, he was once more in the orb surrounded by darkness. Except this time he found that the three elves were on the inside, and they currently were engaged in a brawl with soul Claudia. Somehow despite it being a three on one Claudia seemed to be holding her own, showing a surprising degree of strength to the point that she was able to overpower Zaiti pushing her down onto the ground only to get tackled from behind by Ralya.

“Rule of seniority bitch, oldest bond is the strongest.” Claudia shouted as she lifted Rayla above her and threw her towards Zaiti. Triz was busy harassing Claudia with her staff.

Despite the sight before Callum couldn’t find the energy to care, whatever Triz had done to him had really drained him. Even in his own dreams he just wanted to sleep, a thought crossed his mind, if this was his mind couldn’t he conjure something to sleep on?

Focusing what little energy he could muster he focused on the image of a pillow, white, soft, fluffy. With a poof that very same pillow popped into existence. Lovingly picking it up Callum simply lied on his stomach on the floor and shoved his face into the pillow.

“Haaaaa that’s nice.” Callum said as he exhaled.

“Hey you wake your ass back up Callum and you are going to explain to me what exactly happened between you and those four fingered skanks that allowed them to get in here. CALLUM!!!” Claudia screamed as she noticed Callum trying to fall asleep.

As soon as the elves noticed this they immediately abandoned their fight with Claudia to nestle up alongside Callum. Triz to his right, Rayla to his left and Zaiti on top of him who was surprisingly light considering her size.

“Oh well questions for another time” Callum thought to himself.

“HEY, move over four fingers, that’s my spot.” Claudia screeched as she forced her way in-between Rayla and Zaiti.

“Callum this discussion is not over, next time you show up in here you got some explaining to do and you better give me some good answers.” Claudia threatened as she eyed the elves with murderous intent.

The elves for their part didn’t care, they were acting almost like cats nestling up to their favorite human seeking attention or cuddles.

All this didn’t bother Callum, right now the only thing that had his undivided attention was this wonderful, soft pillow.

\------------------------------------------------------

Back at the moon nexus Zaiti with nothing to do had gone out to patrol the nexus just in case. She had agreed that Triz and Rayla could spend this night alone with Callum to make things even between them, however, after that a sleeping arrangement was going to have to be made as she wouldn’t concede her opportunity to sleep alongside Callum. If they had to squeeze all 4 of them onto the bed then so be it.

Another set of footsteps approaching alerted her to Luajnne’s approach. The older elf stepped into view, illuminated by the moonlight.

“So how is the nexus? Any idea how soon the phoenix can recover?” Zaiti inquired, she couldn’t shake of this strange feeling that time was of the essence.

“We are in luck, the nexus is in perfect condition and with a full moon tonight I think Phoe phoe should reemerge sometime tomorrow night. She would have the strength to get us back to the hunter village but it would still be enough to get across the safety of the border.” Lujanne happily explained

The news brought a smile to Zaiti, she couldn’t wait to get out of here. Honestly the rumors of humans being corrupt and greedy creatures seemed to have been greatly exaggerated, she had seen kindness and empathy from them, but she didn’t wish to push her luck. Only once they were safely back across Xadia would she truly be able to relax. That and she would finally be able to focus on Callum and not on the fear that some human group might catch up to them.

Feeling the exhaustion beginning to settle in she decided now was best to get some rest.

“Goodnight Lujanne, rest well.”

“Goodnight Zaiti.”

Returning to the building she had left the trio in she quietly opened the bedroom door. There on the bed were the three of them, sound asleep clumped up against each other. The girls held Callum tightly, most likely as she had done during their stay at the inn. Despite her consent to this she still felt a pang of jealousy, she wanted to be with them but she had made a deal, something she couldn’t break easily.

Settling onto the bed in the next room she allowed her mind to drift to sleep. Her last conscious thought was a hope that this last stretch goes off without a hitch. She had no desire to have everything ruined especially with the end being within sight.


	11. Collision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shit hits the fan.

The gentle rays of the sun pulled Callum from his slumber, slowly opening his eyes he was greeted by the sight of the two elves still clinging to him.

As much as he found the sight of them asleep cute he very much wanted to go stretch his legs. Being unable to walk or move for an entire day left him with a craving to walk around, and from what he felt his broken leg had recovered quite well. Not completely but as he gently moved it about he was confident he could walk on his own with a slight limp. Zaiti’s healing magic was amazing, he really hoped she would be able to show him how it worked when they had the time.

A knock on the door stirred the other 2 from their sleep, mumbles and demands for 5 more minutes were their answer before snuggling closer to Callum. A large impact against the door made it swing open slamming against the wall startling the girls awake.

“W-what’s happening are we being attacked?” Triz asked in a barely coherent manner falling off the bed as she had clumsily attempted to stand up still half asleep.

Rayla had sprung up on the bed and reflexively made a motion to grab the weapons that normally were resting on her sides, only to realize she had taken them off for last night.

Callum on the other hand could only smile as he saw Zaiti chuckling in the doorway, from the fact that her leg was finishing a motion of coming downwards she must have kicked the door open. He was surprised it hadn’t flown of its hinges but then again she knew how to control her strength.

The other 2 were not as amused as Rayla was sporting an angry glare aimed at the sunfire elf while Triz was pouting while turning her head away from Zaiti.

“Come on lazy bones, food is ready.” Zaiti said warmly as she walked out of sight.

Rayla hopped off the bed while Triz picked herself up, Rayla passed Callum his clothes allowing him to change. Rayla and Triz patiently waited for Callum to put on his clothes taking the chance to sneak a few glances, he didn’t even bother removing the shorts and simply covered them with his pants.

As Rayla made a move to help Callum up he held his had up motioning her to leave him be. The gesture clearly shocked Rayla but didn’t try protesting, instead she remained with her arms half stretched out ready to support him should he need it.

Both girls watched attentively as Callum sat on the edge of the bed, his feet placed on the ground. With a gradual motion Callum slowly stood up, he couldn’t put too much pressure on his broken leg and his balance wasn’t the best but he was standing on his own, a major improvement compared to before.

Slowly Callum inched forward taking one confident step with his good leg before taking a rapid uneasy one with his still aching leg, after a few more tries it was clear Callum wasn’t quite ready to walk on his own just yet.

“Yeah, sorry I think I still need some help.” Callum said, embarrassed at being too confident especially in front of Rayla and Triz.

The girls quickly slid an arm each over their shoulders acting as his support.

“Um, I have crutches, if you can just pass them I can handle the rest.” Callum pointed at the wooden crutches laying on the floor.

Triz broke off and bent down to pick them up.

“Thanks Triz” Callum extended his hand to receive the crutches. However, Triz proceeded to silently walk towards the window, without a word she chucked them out as Callum stared baffled at her behavior.

Once she turned back around to face him an innocent smile greeted him.

“What crutches?”

Callum sighed heavily as he glared at her, his free arm hanging from his side, they really tried to find any excuse to spend time with him. Defeated he raised his arm back up as an invitation for Triz to help him, of course she happily skipped over to do so, even with their antics he just couldn’t find it in himself to be angry at them for long. It reminded him of a cat they once had, despite knowing it wasn’t allowed to touch the cups it would constantly knock them over all to have attention.

Steadily the girls helped him outside, it was a beautiful sunny day, the sky was clear, birds were up and about, the stereotypical carefree summer day. The sun was already near its peak, meaning they had slept way past morning, something he blamed on last night’s session. Zaiti would probably be able to use her healing magic again, from what he could tell one more go and he would be able to walk on his own.

At least the girls wouldn’t have an excuse to carry him around anymore. Outside they were greeted by a stone table covered with various foods, although it was mostly fruits and plants there did seem to be some meat based foods. Something Callum welcomed although his didn’t quite know what type of meat it was. Colourful and beautifully crafted plates, bowls, cups and table ware adorned the table, clearly of elven design.

Setting Callum down on the stone bench the girls quickly settled next to him.

“Well what are you waiting for? Dig in?” Zaiti exclaimed with a warm voice. It was clear she enjoyed making food for the rest of the group.

Grabbing a plate from the nearest bowl the group dug in. Callum was amazed at the different flavors, he never had tasted anything like it. If all fruits were that good in Xadia he was amazed at how they stopped themselves from over eating.

Zaiti eyed Callum dreamily, seeing him enjoy her cooking this much brought a smile to her face. Her worry that he might not like Xadian food gone she just enjoyed watching him discover the various fruits they had collected from the nearby trees and surrounding vegetation. He still had that dorky excitement as when he was questioning them about magic, but despite his best efforts to eat quickly to try everything he could only chew so fast.

“So what news about the phoenix?” Rayla inquired

“Lujanne said it should be revived by tonight, she’s already eaten and is busy speeding it up as much as she can.” Zaiti calmly answered.

Those words knocked Callum out of his train of thoughts and into reality. He realized that once the phoenix was up they would probably fly straight back to Xadia, if that happened there would be no way home, he wouldn’t see his mother, Harrow, his aunt Amaya or his little brother Ezran.

If he wanted to try to find out their reason and try to find an alternate solution it had to be now, there would be no other chance. Callum mentally braced himself, he knew they most likely wouldn’t like talking about the subject but he was confident they had opened up enough to him to at least hear him out. He decided to bring up the subject after the meal was done, when everyone was in a good mood from a full stomach.

The meal was concluded around 30 minutes later, the girls had eagerly talked about the things they would do once they got home seemingly without a care that Callum was within earshot. In their minds they probably viewed him as having accepted to come with them, after all he had been nothing but cooperative.

As the girls began tidying up the dirty plates Zaiti sat down next to Callum, she gently patted her leg while smiling at Callum. It took him a few seconds to understand what she wanted but he got it in the end.

Placing his recovering leg upon her lap he once more watch her get to work, lifting his pants to reveal the leg underneath she once more focused her magic into her hands. Once more the soothing sensation as she healed his leg filled him, no matter how many times he experienced it he would never get tired of it. There was something unique to it, like the gentle warmth of the sun you take granted for the day but end up craving during the darkness of the night.

Once the other 2 had finished cleaning up the dishes they joined Callum in watching Zaiti work. Rayla place herself behind Callum while Triz laid herself across the table resting her chin in her hands.

“I know you didn’t want to talk about it before but, can-can I ask again why you need to bring me to Xadia?” Callum hesitantly asked his voice cracking as he braced for their reaction.

The girls looked at him with a pained expression they didn’t want to share such a dangerous secret while still in human territory but they felt like he deserved an answer. He had been nothing but nice to them, sharing a questioning glance between themselves they nodded in agreement. Callum deserved an answer.

They explained to him what had happened, the dark mage that cast that spell upon their kind, their desperation to reverse the effects, their glimmer of hope at the solution, how the practice became part of elven society, how it wasn’t some selfish indulgence but a guanine necessity for them.

Callum listened to the story intently, not once interrupting, his faced contorted with anger at the mention of the dark mage. It turned to shock once he heard what the spell did and a bit of embarrassment once he heard what the solution was.

With the story finished Callum let his gaze fall down as he stared at the ground while he processed this new information. Although this explained why this journey happened, his mind focused on two pieces of information that he had obtained.

Firstly although the elves might not have been to figure out how to undo the spell, he felt it was because they had little knowledge about dark magic due to their disdain of it. However, Callum knew someone who could potentially help. After all Viren was the most knowledgeable person he knew concerning dark magic, even if he seemed to have pushed it aside since his connection to the sky he knew Viren still held many books about it. Maybe he would know a method that could help.

Secondly from what they had said every human has a miniscule connection to a primal source, but so small that they cannot make use of it. If they could figure out why Callum’s had come to the surface on his own then maybe they could replicate it, if humans were able to use magic like elves the need for dark magic would be greatly diminished perhaps even destroyed altogether. The cause of the great divide would be no more, sure it would not mean an instant reconciliation but it would at least open the door.

His thoughts gathered he gazed into the distance as he began his proposition.

“I know this might sound crazy but… I think I might have an alternate solution to your problems.” Callum waited for a second gauging their reaction, they seemed to be interested to hear what he had to say.

Confident he had their attention he continued.

“You said that every human has a miniscule amount of primal magic in them, and mine became something more without being turned into an elf. That means it’s possible for humans to make a connection to a primal source, but we barely understand magic. What if your people helped, they know magic better than we do and if we can figure out how to do it again then humans won’t need dark magic anymore.” Callum once more fell silent as he let his point sink in.

“Callum that’s a very… sweet idea but not every human is like you, not all of them would be as open as you. Most hate us and I doubt they would ever accept the help from elves, much less ones that kidnapped you. Even if you tried explaining it to them they would think we put you under some spell.” Rayla was the one who had spoken up.

He didn’t like her tone or the way she looked at him, it was like an adult trying to let down gently a child with impossible dreams. Looking at the other 2 their expressions were similar, they found it touching but viewed it as impossible.

However, Callum refused to be deterred.

“I also know someone who might be able to find a cure to the spell that was cast on your people.”

The girls had a hopeful look on their face at this development but a hint of fear was present in their eye.

“His name is Viren and he’s the most knowledgeable person about dark magic…”

“I’m going to stop you right there Callum, your previous suggestion was cute but this… there is no way we are letting someone like Viren ever getting into Xadia.” Rayla interjected before Callum could continue.

“I know he is one of the biggest practitioner of dark magic but I promise ever since I discovered primal magic he’s changed.” Callum attempted to defend his point.

“CALLUM, we are not going to let the biggest dark mage alive know about this, EVER. End of story.” Rayla shut him down

“I’m going to have to agree with Rayla on this one, you I trust but VIren. That is a whole other story Callum.” Triz added a tone of pity present in her voice.

Hoping to find some kind of support he turned to Zaiti. He found none, her face was also one of pity, he could tell she was begging him to just drop the subject before things got worse.

For the first time in their journey anger swelled inside Callum. He had been respectful, cooperative and open to them the entire trip despite them kidnapping him and yet when he was trying to offer a possible solution to their problem they refused to listen.

Urged on by his emotions Callum wordlessly removed his leg from Zaiti’s lap, flipping his legs over to the external edge of the bench he stood up. His leg still ached a little but it he couldn’t care less about pain right now, his senses clouded by his anger.

“Callum I’m sorry I know you just want to help but…” Callum slapped Rayla’s hand away as she tried to hold his arm.

He glared at her a look of shock across all their faces, pain could be seen in Rayla’s eyes. They had been so used to a kind and understanding Callum that this new face seemed almost alien to them.

Callum turned back around and resumed his march.

“I need some time to myself.” He uttered with unhidden rage at the trio.

None of the girls dared to go after him, they were still confident he wouldn’t try to escape, but trying to talk to him as he was would only make things worse.

\---------------------------------------

Amaya was rabid, she was currently grasping an inn keeper by his collar questioning him once more if he was certain of what he saw. They had arrived to the village just as the sun was beginning to disappear under the horizon, night was beginning to settle in, yet it was at the moment that Amaya found her greatest ray of hope.

As they interrogated the villagers they learned that a couple had arrived at the town barely 2 days ago. A wounded young boy with a broken leg and a rather large girl, the boy had been treated by the village doctor before retiring to the inn.

They had rushed to the inn, Amaya almost smashing the door down in her haste. When the inn keeper was interrogated it confirmed her suspicions, several hours after they had arrived a trio of girls whose description resembled that of the elves. She was confident that those were the elves they were hunting and the boy was none other than Callum, they might have changed their appearance with magic but having a group that resembled that much to the kidnappers couldn’t be a coincidence.

One detail that confused her though was how the inn keeper Callum’s relationship with the elves.

“Poor lad must be in quite the pickle having those three girls pining for him. Ah the troubles of youth am I right?” The inn keeper couldn’t help but chuckle at the memory of the group, but his faced turned serious once he saw that Amaya didn’t seem amused.

“They’re not in trouble are they?” The innkeeper hesitantly asked.

Corvus stepped in to translate her signing to the innkeeper.

“We believe they are the group of elves that kidnapped the prince in disguise.”

Jake’s jaw dropped at this revelation, the very group he had treated so warmly and found amusing were elves. Elves that had kidnapped prince Callum, yet, some part of him was confused, the prince could have tried to say something before leaving. Sure they were elves but he was confident they could have brought them down due to their numbers, yet he remained quiet, he even seemed to like them.

“Do you have any idea where they went?” Corvus inquired

“They left towards the mountain around a day ago.”

That was all she needed to know, charging back out and jumping on her horse with her group they galloped towards the peak.

Her nephew was almost in her grasp they had no time to waste.

So eager was the grouped that they failed to notice another rider following behind them.

Claudia didn’t know why the group suddenly picked up the pace but whatever it was it definitely meant that either Callum was about to slip from their grasp or he was close by.

\-----------------------------------

Night was settling in, its coldness beginning to creep in yet it did nothing to Callum. He was still mad at the girls, right now he ddin’t want to talk to anyone. He had tried to be reasonable, to find another way and yet he was treated like a child.

Yes he knew it wasn’t a perfect method but it was better than leaving things as they were, Katolis knew elves had infiltrated the kingdom and if he wasn’t the only one taken then it was only a matter of time before they found out and things were bound to get worse.

The girls hadn’t tried to find him as they most likely understood he needed space right now, something he was grateful for. He had found this quiet little spot with a conveniently place log for him to sit on, it was isolated and decently hidden. If the girls wanted to find him it wouldn’t be too easy to do so.

He didn’t know what to do, on his own he had no way of escaping or stopping the girls but at the same time he doesn’t want to leave them empty handed. Even if he does like them abandoning his entire family and home at the drop of a hat like that is impossible. No matter how much he thought about it no possible solution came, they certainly weren’t open to his alternatives and he felt that if they needed to be forceful to bring him back they would even if they didn’t like it, they had put too much effort into this to leave empty handed.

He had gotten too used to the girls that he had almost forgotten this was meant to be a kidnapping, not an adventure with friends.

Sighing heavily he could only rub his aching head as he tried to find a solution, despite his bests efforts her remained as lost as before.

A snap of a twig caught his attention, but the rapid thudding of large heavy metal boots hitting the ground at a rapid pace made him snap out of his thoughts to face the source of the sound. Turning to his right he only caught a glimpse of Katolis armor before his vision became blurry as he was tossed around in a deadly bear hug. He’d recognize this grip anywhere, it was aunt Amaya.

She squeezed him so tightly he was certain his organs would come out of his mouth, acting quickly Callum desperately tapped his aunt’s sides, the universal sign for “you are crushing me”.

Either she failed to notice or didn’t care as she continued her deadly embrace, she was in tears and sported a smile like he had never seen before. He would have been touched if he wasn’t actively having the life squeezed out of him.

In desperation he resorted to a kick to her leg, that got her attention as she immediately let go allowing him to steady himself on the good solid ground. Callum didn’t have time to savor his freedom as a barrage of kisses to the cheeks and forehead alongside a very thorough inspection for any injury.

“Aunt Amaya I’m fine” She couldn’t hear him but she definitely could read his lips. Her inspection continued unabated.

Already in a bad mood Callum was quick to put a stop to the suffocating display of affection by repeatedly pushing his aunt’s hands away, a feat in of itself considering her physical strength.

It was only when she finally relented that the situation dawned on him. If his aunt was here then it meant that she had been following their trail, but he knew Amaya wasn’t the best tracker meaning she must have brought her own men to help her. If they weren’t with her here then where were they?

“Aunt Amaya, where are your men?” Callum signed to her.

“They are dealing with the elves, don’t worry your safe now.” Amaya answered with a smile.

Callums heart sank, yes he was mad at them but he knew what they were like, what their people were experiencing and he knew they didn’t deserve to die for it.

“Aunt Amaya I know this is going to sound weird but can you please call them off. I know the elves kidnapped me but they had their reasons and they don’t deserve to die for it.”

The face of joy of his aunt turned to one of confusion before slipping into a frown. Once more she began examining him.

“What kind of magic did they use on you?” Amaya signed

Callum was shocked at what his aunt was saying, she was honestly convinced that the trio had put him under some kind of spell.

Before he could get another word in the sound of a thunder bolt crackling through the air could be heard in the distance. They must have already started fighting.

A firm hand gripped Callum’s arm and began to pull him in the opposite direction.

“Amaya please, listen to me.” Callum fruitlessly pleaded, he knew his aunt could feel he was saying something but she refused to listen to him. He needed to break free but he had no chance of overcoming his aunts iron grip using just his own physical strength.

Urged on by the adrenaline he did something he never thought he would ever do. Drawing the aspire rune he blew it towards his clueless aunt.

The sudden force sent her flying into the bushes his hand slipped from her grasp. Protected by her armor and weight down by her shield Amaya was tangled in the bushes, she was already struggling to break from and from the looks of it they wouldn’t hold her for very long. Having seen that she was unhurt or in any danger Callum sprinted as fast as he could in the direction he heard the lightining. His leg ached from the rough treatment, branches struck him as he passed by but he refused to stop, even his aunt shouting his name did not make him stop even as it tore his heart to have done this. Tears began sliding down his cheeks, he had hoped that things could be resolved peacefully yet no one listened to him and now the elves he had gotten to know and Amaya’s men were most likely trying to kill each other.

Every second he took was a second more where someone might get, he just hoped he could get there in time to stop it.

\---------------------------------------------

Corvus was confident he could win against his opponent, he was currently facing a winged elf wielding a staff. His chain weapon gave him greater reach than her staff and any attempt for her to take to the skies were shut down by wrapping her leg.

Two of his companions were currently engaging a large sunfire elf harassing her while staying out of her reach slowly wearing her down. Her lack of weapon proved a severe disadvantage.

What worried him was the moonshadow elf that was currently fight the only remaining member of their party, she clearly had the advantage and could have ended the fight fairly easily if she didn’t seem to avoid killing blows.

Whatever their reasons for avoiding lethal blows Corvus had a job, subdue or kill them if that proves to be unfeasible. The life of the prince was on the line, they couldn’t fail now.

The winged elf drew his attention when she went for a stab with her staff, using her wings to propel herself forward Corvus barely had time to dodge.

He countered with a downward smash aimed at her staff seeking to break her weapon, another flap of her wings sent her backwards out of his reach. In the sky she was easy to predict due to her wings telling him what she is going to do ahead of time, however, when she used her feet and wings on the ground in tandem she was much harder to keep up with.

He couldn’t charge in carelessly either, last time he tried she shot a lightning bolt at him, luckily it missed even if only by a few inches.

With a swift motion Corvus sent his hook barreling towards the elf, of course she dodged using her wings to jump to the side but the time it took for her to steady herself due to her momentum had allowed him to close the gap. Reeling his hook back in and wielding by its hilt allowed him to barrage her with a series of attacks, each blow was deflected but didn’t offer the chance to counter attack for the elf. He was aiming to tire her out, according to general Amaya skywing elves tire the fastest in close combat, he could only hope it was true.

With another downward swing he knocked the elf’s weapon out of her hands, or so that’s what he thought. The elf had let go of her weapon allowing the sudden lack of resistance to destabilizing him, giving her enough time to reach for a sickle shape object from her belt before strike him square in the head.

His world was spinning from the blow, confused and dazed Corvus followed his soldier’s instinct. Dashing backwards in an attempt to create distance between him and the elf while he recovered, he realized his mistake too late. Turning towards the duo engaging the sunfire elf she cast spoke a tongue he didn’t understand and drew a symbol in the air.

“Fullminis”

A bolt of lightning flew from her hand aimed at one of his companions that had his back turned to her. His warning cry came too late as it connected, the soldier convulsing violently before collapsing.  
Stunned by the event his partner failed to react as the sunfire elf whipped around and grabbed hold of his head before delivering a devastating headbutt. As he fell unconscious the sunfire elf was now free to move towards Corvus to assist the skywing elf.

That little mistake on his part had just turned the tables on them, could only hope that general Amaya had found the prince and allow them to retreat. It might have seemed cruel to abandon his fallen comrades as he noticed that both seemed to breathing, but they knew the risks and to give their life for the safety of a member of the royal family was an end they considered worth it.

However, hope arrived in the form of Claudia arriving from the vegetation already having begun a chant of some kind. He normally didn’t like dark magic and he had no idea how Claudia was here but it was something he welcomed. The two elves had charged towards Claudia as soon as she appeared, he easily intercepted the skywing elf but that left the sunfire elf unattended.

Raising her arm forwards 3 purple tendrils darted from Claudia’s fingers towards the sunfire elf, he didn’t know what it was meant to do but he didn’t care as he needed all the help he could get.

The sunfire elf had gained too much momentum to stop in time, just as the tendrils were about to strike her prince Callum of all people came rushing out of the foliage. He intentionally collided with the sunfire elf knocking her out of the way of the tendrils, unfortunately that left him right in the path of the tendrils.

Piercing his eyes and mouth the tendrils seemed to siphon something out of Callum as they began to suck some bright blue light from Callum like a straw sucking water out. Rapidly it was advancing up the tendrils towards Claudia.

Callum was violently twitching as Claudia’s spell took effect. The caster herself was panicking striking her arm seemingly unable to stop the spell. Tears escaping her eyes as she sought to stop what was happening.

‘No, no, no dad never taught me how to stop this. CALLUM!” She shouted I blind panic.

She visibly grew more panicked as the blue color inched closer to her fingers, causing her to violently shake and strike her arm in an attempt to stop the spell.

With the blue light only a meter from her fingers and her desperation evident Corvus listened to his instincts and with no other solution coming to mind he ran towards Claudia. With his momentum behind him he struck her square in the head, immediately she collapsed onto the ground. The purple tendrils vanished while the blue light quickly slid back inside Callum.

Free from the spell Callum fell to his knees before collapsing onto the ground, motionless.

“Prince Callum!” Corvus ran towards the downed prince.

“Fulminis”

A bright blue light struck Corvus from the side, a searing pain traveled throughout his body as he collapsed onto the ground. He demanded his body to move but whatever movement he manage was clumsy and erratic.

He saw the sunfire elf turn Callum over pressing her head against his chest while placing her hand inches from his mouth. Her worry visibly turned to relief as she embraced the prince in a hug, tears falling from her cheeks as she sobbed but still sported a smile.

From what he could guess the prince was still alive, that was what little consolation he could find in this situation.

A shriek from the sky must have sounded like bird song to the elves but to Corvus it was a sound of dread.

A large bird like creature landed next to sunfire elf, upon its back was another elf. The sunfire elf quickly picked the unconscious Callum up and propped him onto the bird. Corvus knew he had to do something , using the only hand that listened to him he tried to crawl towards the creature, he had to slow them down, just long enough for general Amaya to get here. His body ached from the pain, his consciousness was slipping, he felt incredibly heavy but he could not falter when the person he is meant to save is right in front of him. His haste only quickened as the moonshadow elf joined the sunfire elf on the bird. Corvus was still too far to do anything, desperately raising his arm he attempted to call out, he wouldn’t be able to restrain them physically but he could try to bargain with them even it was just to stall.

His lungs burned at the effort but no coherent sound came from his throat.

The bird opened its wings and with a few steady beats disappeared into the sky. His failure was total, defeated and exhausted Corvus slipped into unconsciousness.

The last thing he heard was the approach of a heavy pair of armored boots.

\--------------------

Amaya had arrived too late. She didn't know why her nephew did what he had done, maybe the elves had cast a spell on him, maybe they had fed him lies. She didn't care he was still her nephew she was still going to save him. Once she had freed herself from the bushes she had sprinted towards the direction Callum had gone. The sight that greeted her shattered what little hope she had left.

Upon the ground layed her squad and Claudia, hurt but alive. She had briefly caught a glimpse of the giant bird that flew off into the night. It was the same one from last time.

She didn't know why they hadn't used it until now or where it had been hiding but that changed nothing.

The elves were gone and with them any hope of seeing her nephew again.

Falling to her knees, for the first time in her life Amaya used her voice.

A pained wail left her throat as tears poured out of her eyes.

She had failed completely, her sister, Ezran, Harrow, Viren, herself, the entirety of Katolis, but most importantly she had failed Callum.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun duuuun. Here it is the much built up confrontation, hope you guys liked it. Again feedback and reviews are welcome or even just simple comments. (Discussing and sharing with you guys is one of my favorite things to do)  
> Thank you all for the amazing support you guys really convinced me to keep writing this.  
> Kind of a sad ending isn't it eh. Well lets hope things are going to take a more magical turn now aren't they.  
> Stay tuned for more.


	12. Crossing to the other side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Callum wakes up and learns of the situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you guys go, I'll try to squeeze one more chapter for you guys, although it seems the quarantine might get extended over here. Final decision is tonight.  
> Again I hope you guys enjoy, love to hear your thoughts and feedback.
> 
> Without further distractions enjoy this chapter.

Callum was once again inside his own mind. The familiar white orb surrounded him, the vast darkness was ever present.

His thoughts were still messy, whatever Claudia had done to him had affected him heavily. He had felt a part of him being torn away. He didn’t know exactly what she was pulling from him but he instinctively knew that it wasn’t a good idea to let it go, that and the way Claudia panicked made it clear the spell was meant to harm. He had tried to resist, pulling back as much as he could but he only succeeded in slowing it down.

The last thing he saw was one of Amaya’s men strike Claudia. After that the spell broke and his was plunged into darkness.

What was different this time was the fact that the three elves were clinging to him like their lives depended on it. Try as he might he couldn’t move.

“Um girls, could you like move a bit? It’s kind of cramped here.”

There was no response from any of them, that’s when he noticed something. They were all three staring in the same direction with a look of pure hostility, that direction being behind him. Slowly he managed to push against the girls allowing him to slowly rotate until he eventually saw what they were glaring at. Outside of the orb, on her knees, her head bent downwards into her hands was Claudia.

“Hey, Claudia, you alright?” Callum couldn’t help but worry, normally she would be a chatter box and inside the orb.

Slowly raising her head Claudia revealed her grief stricken face, tears poured freely, sobbing could be heard and eyes filled with regret told Callum all he needed to know. Whatever Claudia had done to him she clearly regretted even if it was an accident.

“Y-yeah im ok Callum just… reflecting on what I… she… we did.” Claudia answered in a cracked voice, she was on the verge of breaking down at the next word.

Callum couldn’t stand seeing his childhood friend in such a state, he wanted to comfort her but some part of him made him hesitate. He remembered the spell she cast, how it felt, the pain it caused, he felt like he was being torn apart.

“Claudia… The spell you used, what was it meant to do?”

At the question Claudia’s answer was to bow her head back down, sobbing.

“Claudia please tell me.”

“It… it was meant to kill a magical creature… by ripping out its primal connection. It paralyzes the victim while doing so, unless someone intervenes the target is doomed. It was meant to help with dragons and elves as even they can’t resist. The biggest down side was the time it took.”

“Callum I swear it was never meant to hit you, dad never taught me how to stop it. If I had known how I swear I would have stopped the second it hit you.” Claudia answered in tears, desperate for some form of forgiveness.

“So you were trying to kill them?” Callum asked in a cold tone.

He understood Claudia wanted to “save” him, that the elves had kidnapped him, that her emotions had gotten the best of her but to actually try to kill them without even trying to take them alive, this was something he never thought Claudia was capable of.

Callum knew Claudia had other spells that could have been used to immobilize the target and yet she immediately had used a spell aiming to kill, she hadn’t even tried threatening the elves with it or offered them a chance of surrendering despite it being quite clear they were holding back.

This “cold” side of Claudia scared him, he had always seen her as a goofy quirky girl that was always ready to cause some mischief. Now, he saw she had a disregard for the lives she could potentially snuff out.

Was this what dark magic did? Or had she been this way the entire time and he simply had chosen not to face reality.

“I can’t even get inside anymore, that’s how badly I hurt you! You don’t trust me anymore and even if you forgave me those three wouldn’t let me in!” Claudia shouted, having to stop every few words to hold back a sob that attempted to escape.

“Please don’t hate me Callum.” Claudia pleaded, tear falling from her face, her hands pressed against the edge of the orb.

As much as Callum was terrified of what she had done he couldn’t bring himself to hate her, she had practiced dark magic like her father because that was their only option. He couldn’t truly hate them for it even if he had a strong distaste for it, Viren had even begun turning away from it.

“Claudia I don’t hate you, you’re one of my best friends and you always will be. I just think that using dark magic like you do is… changing you. Like you don’t care about the lives you use to cast your spells.”

“But it’s all I have Callum, I’m not like you.” Claudia replied her voice a bit calmer than before.

“I was the same as you Claudia and the elves told me every human has a connection, one so weak they can’t make use of it but it is there. If I can find a way to bring it out then you won’t need dark magic anymore.”

His words seem to be getting through to her, she seemed calmer but the pain was still there.

“She won’t know about our conversation Callum, but I can try to tug in her dreams for a spell that might be able to fix that.” Claudia answered her voice bearing a small sliver of hope.

Callum couldn’t help but smile, if he could talk to Claudia directly through here then maybe this whole incident could be resolved, maybe even convince Claudia to relay Callum’s message to the rest of his family, let them know he is alright.

“Callum be honest with me, you’re not saying that every human has a connection to give me false hope? Can you really trust what the elves said?” Claudia asked with a serious look.

A brief silence followed as Callum gathered his thoughts.

“Yes I trust them, I know it sounds weird but they have been nothing but open with me. They could have tied me up and forced me to be quiet, but they didn’t. They answered almost any question I had.”

Callum began pushing, forcing the elves to part allowing him to walk towards Claudia. Callum turned back to glare at them when Triz had grabbed hold of his hand in an attempt to stop him. This was enough to cow them into leaving him.

Once he reached the edge of the sphere Callum knelt down in front of his childhood friend, a warm smile upon his face.

“I know it’s a lot to ask, but I need you to trust me Claudia.”

“I trust you Callum” Claudia answered as she placed her hand on the edge of the sphere.

Callum placed his hand against hers, despite the orb preventing them from truly touching he could almost feel the warmth of her hand.

Suddenly three sets of hands grabbed hold of him and yanked him away from Claudia before his world went dark once more.

\--------------------------------------------

His head propelled forward as his world reappeared he collided with something hard. Clutching his head in pain Callum groaned as he rubbed the point of impact hoping to lessen the pain.

“Hahahaha it’s not me this time.” Triz’s voice could be heard

Two powerful hands grabbed his head and pulled him forward, parking him in front of Zaiti’s concerned face.

The brick wall he felt he collided with must have been her head, clearly she either ignored it or her head was made of tougher stuff than his.

Freeing one of her hands she began checking every little corner of his face, from his eyes to his mouth, his forehead even his ears, nothing was untouched.

“Zaiti stop it I’m fine.” Callum protested at the treatment that felt very similar to the one his aunt had given him.

She ignored him continuing her thorough inspection, any attempts to physically stop her was met with a stern slap to the offending hand.

“Wait where are we, what happened after I blacked out!”

From what he could see they seemed to be in some sort of canyon, there was no vegetation or wildlife in sight. Silence reigned all around them, almost as if the world didn’t dare to make noise around here. The elves had assembled their bags in one small pile, the sun was high but they had found a sufficiently large shadow created by a large rock to hide from the heat.

“Relax Callum, were in Xadia, well more like we are at the very beginning of Xadia. We kind of had to take a detour, Phoe phoe was flying too low and with your side of the border being on high alert we couldn’t risk flying over directly. But the rest is smooth sailing from her on out, just a simple walk past Sol Regem and a single day’s travel and were at the hunter’s village. Don’t worry about your human buddies, we didn’t kill them. After you were knocked out Lujanne showed up with her phoenix.” Rayla’s voice came from his right.

“Then we flew off into the sunset to live happily ever after.” Triz added, the following slap probably meant Rayla had smacked her for her joke.

Satisfied with her inspection Zaiti finally let go.

Callum could do nothing but remain there, stunned as it finally dawned on him. He wasn’t going back home, they wouldn’t let him, his mom, Ezran, Harrow, Amaya, Claudia. He wouldn’t see any of them again unless he convinced the elves to change.

“You ok Callum?” Rayla asked, worried about his unusual silence.

“It’s just… it’s still a shock, I mean… I’m not gonna get to see my mom, my little brother or my adoptive father ever again. Just thinking about how my mom must feel I’m scared she might break from it.”

The elves gave him a look sympathy, they couldn’t imagine what he must be feeling but the look on his face told them he needed support now more than ever. None knew how to proceed and the group remained in silence.

Triz was the one who broke that silence. Heading back towards her bag that lay on ground.

“Alright, Callum write up your message, we’re sending an eagle arrow to your mom.” Triz ordered a surprisingly serious tone in her voice.

“Are you crazy Triz you know we can’t let him do that. What if he writes important information hidden in some kind of code.” Rayla protested

“Firstly Rayla we are IN Xadia there is no way for him to get back so a rescue is impossible, secondly we can always check ourselves what he writes but I highly doubt we need to considering how cooperative Callum has been. Thirdly, I doubt humans would be able to get past dragon king Avizandum no matter how hard they tried. Lastly and most important if we don’t do this, it’s going to eat away at him for the rest of his life. Also I just don’t like the idea of subjecting his mother to the fate of not knowing what happened to her child.” Triz countered her voice stern and determined.

Rayla stayed silent, unable to find a proper counter argument. Turning to Zaiti she received a silent nod signifying she was of the same mind as Triz.

Returning with a piece of paper and one of his charcoal pens Triz handed both to Callum. For a second he stood there in silence eyeing Triz, looking for a confirmation that this wasn’t a trick of some kind.

Her smile at his confusion showed him that she was being serious about it. Before he could begin writing, however, Triz held him by his chin forcing him to look her in the eye.

“Just promise me one thing Callum. Don’t make the rest of the voyage difficult ok.” She was still smiling, but the tone in her voice made it clear there would be retribution if he made her regret this decision or went back on this promise.

Callum could only silently nod, a small hint of fear in his movement. Satisfied with his answer she let go, Callum now free scrambled to quickly find a stone to use as a makeshift table. The girls couldn’t help but admit that excitement of his was nothing but adorable.

With Callum occupied the girls decided it might be best to send out a message of their own to inform their families of their progress.

\-----------------------------------

The hunter’s village was currently abuzz with activity, everyone wanted to know what was going on. Barely a few hours ago Zeranya Dawn guard herself accompanied by her bodyguards had arrived at the hunter’s village, for her to have come personally then the matter must be of great importance or else she would have delegated it to one of her subordinates.

Everyone wanted to know why she was here, of course no one was stupid enough to ask the giant of a woman why she was here, especially not with the mean looking scowl she sported.

There seemed to be 2 other parties involved one on side there were the 2 former dragon guards Tiadrin and Lain who had been given leave due to the population crisis alongside them were 2 of their friends Runann and Ethari while on the other end was the winged matriarch of the Swift wings Taili.

Now Taili physically was for the most part like any other skywing elf, blueish skin, cyan blue eyes and hair wrapped up in a bun behind her head, average physique. The only 2 things that really made her stand apart from a regular sky wing was her wings, her horns and her magical tattoos.

Her wings were completely of sky blue coloration, her horns were also of a vivid blue even having an occasional spark of electricity briefly coming to life, while tattoos of the same color covered a good portion of the body. The tattoos looked seemed to resemble the representation of the wind blowing across her entire body. Any elf could see that they were crackling with primal energy from the sky, meaning her connection to the sky Arcanum was exceptionally powerful, rumor has it that with some effort she can actually turn a bright sunny day into a raging thunderstorm. How she came to have such a strong connection varies, some say she was just lucky, some say their family has some secret to boost their connection, however, the most popular is that she is the result of a carefully selected breeding program.

Luckily for most people she had a disposition very similar to her daughter, cheerful, carefree and a born prankster it took serious effort to truly anger her. However, when something catches her eye and she truly desired it she would chase it forever until she obtained it, if she had to share or make some concessions that was tolerable.

That trait was most apparent if you believed the story of how she obtained her husband. According to the rumors he had been a simple farm boy in Katolis with an exceptionally strong potential for sky magic, she had approached him during her entire week but despite her best efforts she had failed to convince him to come with her.

Rather than leave she did something truly risky, she stayed in Katolis, every night she would come visit him. Bit by bit she closed the distance between them, comforting him when he was feeling down, discreetly dishing out retribution to those who harmed or wronged him, telling him stories about Katolis of everything he could discover there. Slowly but surely the boy fell for her and finally after an entire 6 months hidden in Katolis she finally returned home, he fiancé in hand flying over the border.

After that she took over the family business of message delivery, her strong primal connection allowing her to generate gusts of wind to make her fly across the land at record speeds. When the news that she bore a daughter with the same potential for sky magic as her the family was overjoyed as their future was secure.

In terms of relations with her daughter many say it was a very close one, Taili frequently spoiled her daughter as long as she met her expectations and fulfilled her duty, as a result they were very close to one another.

Many believed it was her that instilled her daughter’s obsession of finding a human with a powerful sky connection.

The three families were gathered in the center of the village the dragon guards and the dawn guard threw threatening glances at the others while Taili simply sported a disarming smile while happily eating a piece of cake. No one knows where the hell she got it from.

Silence reigned as the crowd refused to risk missing a single bit of information regarding this rather unique event. Finally an organizer stepped into the center holding a piece of paper.

The organizer seemed on the brink of fainting, it was almost like he imagined the three families were ready to rip him to pieces if he said something they didn’t like.

_“Dear moms._

_We have successfully passed the border, the phoenix couldn’t get us all the way to the village. We simply have to pass Sol Regem and in a day’s time we should reach the hunter’s village. Lujanne and Callum are with us. However, the humans know we have Callum and mostly likely know he is across the border. We also have allowed Callum to send a shadow hawk to his mother, we have checked his message and it doesn’t hold any information they could use against Xadia. We only wanted to allow him to reassure his mother that he is safe and in good health._

_We are traveling as fast as we can we hope to see you soon._

_Love Rayla, Triz, Zaiti.”_

Whispers began to circulate amongst the gathered crowd, the daughters of all three families returning late from their hunt with someone who’s name is clearly of human origin. That could only mean that they were targeting the same human during their hunt. For him to be desired by those three families it must mean he is quite the special one.

The news of humans being possibly aware also was worrying, even with dragon kind Avizandum protecting the border. If the humans made it impossible for them to acquire new males then their race was doomed to a slow extinction.

Some among the crowd were confident that they would still succeed even if the humans attempted to increase their guard. They even believed that given time the humans would forget all about the incident.

“Well it’s about time Zaiti came back with her human in tow, we can get this silly matter settled.” Zeranya spoke up in a rough tone.

“Oh and what “silly matter” might you be talking about?” Tiadrin retorted in a clearly taunting tone

“The matter of the shared custody, I for one do not accept this outcome. I recall my daughter was the first one to learn of this human, even collected any information she could find about him I do not see why she should have to share him with 2 hangers-on’s.” Zeranya

“Well my daughter got to him first if I recall so yeah your daughter might have learned about him first but my daughter was the one to reach the goal first.” Tiadrin retorted, anger clear in her voice

Sparks could practically be felt between the two women as they glared daggers at each other. If there wasn’t a crowd they would most likely be at each other’s throats.

“Well maybe we should wait for the people in question to get here first before deciding on anything.” Taili intervened

The other two women only scoffed in response but ceased bickering for the moment.

If things were already this intense without the guests of honor being present nobody wanted to imagine the bloodbath once they got here.

\------------------------------------------

The group had set out 30 minutes ago, their journey through the canyon uneventful. They hadn’t encountered a single other living creature, yet Callum could feel the tension in the girls movements. Something had them spooked, he didn’t know what but whatever it was it must have been serious to make even the normally cheerful Triz and Lujanne fall silent.

As they arrived at a portion of the canyon that widened considerably he spotted a gargantuan figure, golden scales, large wings, a four legged body, horns and a long tail. It was a dragon, no doubt about it.

Callum froze at the sight of such a large creature, even at such a distance it was huge. A part of him was screaming for him to run, to hide and not look back.

Luckily a familiar warmth crept from his back as Zaiti placed her hands on his shoulders in reassurance. Slowly Callum followed a bit further behind the group, not that the girls seem to mind in fact they seem to prefer it that way making little signals to get back if he got too close.

Finally they arrived, the dragon was now only a dozen meters away from them. Callum noticed the area around the dragon’s eyes was raw, there were no scales to protect them only raw skin. Whatever did this to him robbed him of his sight, sniffing the air the dragon slowly turned his head in their direction.

Lujanne at the head of the group spoke up.

“Mighty Sol Regem my name is Lujanne, we are returning from our hunt and request passage.”

With thundering footsteps the dragon lumbered towards the group, lowering its head he inhaled Lujanne’s scent before sniffing in the direction of the rest of the group.

“Why then have you not returned by phoenix and come through here, with a human no less.” The dragon inquired, its sized made its voice easily heard.

“We encountered difficulties and our phoenix could not carry us the entire journey. I promise you the human is well under control.” Lujanne answered

Moving forward the dragon brought his head before Callum, instinctively Callum tried backing away but Zaiti held him in her embrace gently caressing his shoulder in comfort.

“I smell dark magic!” Sol Regem bellowed with a roar.

“Lord Regem I assure you the human has never practice dark magic on the contrary he was recently a victim of dark magic. Please look further.” Lujanne hastily intervened.

With a look of disgust he reluctantly lowered his head once more, deeply inhaling Callum’s scent his face turned to one of confusion.

“How is this possible? I smell sky magic, humans cannot do magic.” Sol Regem uttered, baffled by the individual before him.

“That was what we thought too, now you know why we are so determined to bring this human to Xadia.”

The dragon remained silent for a few moments before raising his head once more.

“Very well, I will allow you to pass. However, human if I catch you around here again and you are still human I will kill you, even with your rather unique… gift.”

The dragon lumbered back onto its rocky plateau but continued to gaze in their direction.

Not wanting to press their luck the group crossed with all haste continuing their journey through the canyon.

Once the dragon was out of sight Callum spoke up.

“What did he mean by if I’m still human?”

\--------------------------------------------------------

Sarai had been catatonic ever since Amaya has left to retrieve Callum. She wanted nothing, food, water, company nothing. All she wanted was her baby boy to come home, the servants and Harrow were worried about her health but nothing they said or did spurred a reaction from her.

It had been almost 5 days since Amaya’s departure and still no news, either she had succeeded and was on her way home with Callum or she had failed.

She had been holed up in Callum’s now empty room for those 5 days, refusing to leave no matter what anyone said. Suddenly through the window something flew in and struck the ground.

It was an arrow, clearly of elven design. It had a note attached to it, Sarai hoped it was a ransom, whatever the elves demanded she would give it if it meant Callum coming home.

Unrolling the note her heart sped up, this was Callum’s handwriting.

_Dear mom_

_I can’t imagine what you are feeling right now, but I want you to know I’m not being tortured or beaten or whatever bad stuff you can do to a person. The elves I am with have actually been treating me very well, they had their own reasons for taking me away but they aren’t bad people. I can’t tell you why they kidnapped me but I want to reassure you they have no plans of hurting me._

_I’m currently in Xadia, I’m sorry mom, I tried resolving things peacefully but things spiraled out of control. Don’t blame Amaya or Claudia for it, it was my fault not theirs. The elves promised I could send you messages regularly, tell Ezran, Harrow, Amaya and Claudia I love them. I don’t know if I will be able to see you all one day but I want you to know that I love you mom._

_I got to go, I’ll try sending another message as soon as I can._

_Love Callum_

Sarai was shaking as she read the letter, sadness and relief mixed into an unrecognizable mess. She was relieved her boy was in good health, she learned to recognize what state he was in when he wrote something and the perfect handwriting confirmed he was doing well and had written this while perfectly calm.

However, that relief only lessened her pain when she learned Amaya had indeed failed, that she might never see son again.

Letting out her pent up emotions Sarai fell to her knees as she cried her heart out. The sudden noise from the prince’s room caused two guards to rush inside looking for what caused such a change in their formerly unresponsive queen. Before any of them could do anything Harrow battered them aside as he rushed to his wife’s side.

Kneeling down and embracing her crying form he could only wonder at what the piece of paper Sarai was holding said, to snap her out of her previous state it must have been about one thing.

Callum.


	13. A whole new world

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group travels further into Xadia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you guys go, sorry it took a bit longer than before, the quarantine has been extended so you guys are stuck with me for a bit longer.  
> This chapter focused a lot on the group but don't worry I haven't forgotten the rest of the cast.
> 
> Again hope you guys enjoy it and comments and feedback are always welcome.

The girls knew this was not going to be a fun moment for anyone, they had told Callum about what the dark mage had done to their kind and how they could use humans to work around it. However, they didn’t mention that they needed to be turned into elves, again due to the risk of Callum escaping.

Now that they were in Xadia the girls felt like they could tell him about it, he might not like it but that was the reality he lived in.

Continuing their walk further into Xadia, Zaiti leading the way while Rayla watched Callum and Triz covered their rears, Lujanne for her part remained quiet in the middle, they didn’t have much to fear from their own people but the wildlife was not always friendly.

“You remember how we told you we needed humans to keep our numbers up?” Rayla began

“Y-yeah” Callum stuttered out of embarrassment at the memory of the scene

“Well we didn’t tell you absolutely everything. We kind of need to turn humans into elves with a special ritual…”

Callum only stared in reply lost in his thoughts at the bizarre information he had been given. It was clear he wasn’t exactly thrilled about the idea, but there was no outburst like the last time they had informed him of his purpose here.

“Ummm, is it “really” necessary for me to be an elf? I mean have you tried without turning a human into an elf?”

“Ah here it is, the negotiating. Classic Callum, don’t fully refuse try to talk your way out of it.” The girls thought to themselves, they didn’t particularly hate that trait of him.

It showed he wasn’t completely against it and was willing to potentially compromise, you just had to get him there.

“It was tried before Callum it was possible but only half of those born had a primal connection, those that did have one were weaker than the previous generation. As you know having a primal connection is a big thing for us elves.” Rayla shot down his first argument.

“Then what about just part of me?”

Callum was already grasping at straws. This time it was Triz that spoke up

“Someone tried that, wasn’t pretty. Let’s just say the human parts didn’t recognize the elf parts as belonging to the same body.”

Callum sported a confused look as he looked back at Triz, clearly her explanation didn’t quite catch on.

“His own body attacked itself. It was nasty and only fixed once it was changed completely.” Triz said in a somewhat annoyed tone.

Callum visibly shuddered at the thought, that was another idea shot down. For several minutes Callum remained silent trying to find another potential compromise, his panicked expression letting everyone know that he was finding none.

“Is-is it reversible?” Callum hesitantly asked, his voice audibly cracking as he tried to keep his emotions in check as each possible alternative or escape is cut down. She couldn’t understand what he felt, but she could sympathize. Changing yourself so completely is a terrifying prospect even if you are willing, so many things were unknown to him.

“I don’t know actually, no one’s ever tried it before. If it is it’s probably just as taxing as turning into an elf, maybe even more. So I doubt it’s a viable option.” Rayla had to admit she never thought about that possibility, it was an interesting avenue but she doubted it was a safe one.

Turning a human into an elf was already a delicate procedure, even more so if the human is unwilling and resisting. She had heard of stories about humans dying because their “families” pushed the issue too much and too fast without even trying to get them to come around.

She didn’t plan on doing that to Callum and she was certain the other 2 felt the same way.

“Will-will it hurt? Will I still be myself?” Callum seemed desperate for some kind of reassurance, Rayla could feel his nerves were on edge, one wrong word from her could make him snap.

Unable to take it anymore Rayla grabbed Callum’s head by his cheeks forcing him to gaze into her eyes.

“Callum I get you’re scared, that you don’t know what going to happen to you, that you wished there was another way but there isn’t. It’s going to have to happen eventually but I promise you one thing, none of us are going to force you through it, if you need time we will give you time.”

Callum on quietly stared at Rayla, his expression reminding her of an adoraburr begging to be freed. His squished cheeks only accentuated the impression.

“It should be a crime to be this cute.” Rayla thought to herself.

“Do you understand Callum? No one will rush you to do it, we’ll help you get through this, one step at a time.”

Callum lightly nodded in response, well as best as he could considering she was keeping his head firmly in place.

Slowly she saw the panic in his eyes beginning to fade, it was still there but it no longer dominated his thoughts.

Gently letting go she allowed Callum to move freely once more, yet he did not budge and continued gazing into her eyes.

“You promise?” a small spark of hope in his eyes.

“We promise, just don’t try to hold it off until we are old and dying please?” Rayla answered a smile upon her lips.

“Well it’s not like I got much of a choice, but ok, I’m just… gonna need a bit of time.” Callum was clearly depressed that there was no alternative but the fact that the girls were willing to ease him into it helped him somewhat accept that eventuality.

Rayla couldn’t help but caress his cheeks.

“Hey Callum come and sniff this flower.” Triz called out. She was pointing at a batch of flowers with dark green leaves, a bright green center and light red stems coming out of its center ending in bright red orbs.

Rayla knew they were fart flowers, but Callum didn’t to know that. Besides it might help him get his mind off his future.

Callum walked over to Triz completely unaware of what the flowers had in store for him. Triz was barely holding back her giggles, bending down Callum was sprayed by the one he had tried sniffing.

Reeling back from the foul smell Callum broke into coughs while Triz burst into laughter.

“It’s called a fart flower Callum.” Triz said in between laughs, turning around to shield herself from the smell.

Callum surprisingly wasn’t sporting a pout or angry face, rather he had a devious grin on his face something Triz failed to notice.

With a surprising burst of speed Callum grabbed hold of Triz’s waist and with visible effort heaved her up.

“Callum, wait what are you doing, put me down.” Triz thrashed as she tried to break free from Callum’s grip.

Turning back towards the batch of flowers Callum clumsly began walking towards them, Triz’s thrashing barely slowing his progress.

“No no no no no, Callum don’t do this, mercy!” Triz’s panic only grew as she realized his intentions.

Having reached the flowers Callum allowed himself to fall forwards landing both of them in the batch of flowers who erupted into a cacophony of flatulent sounds. If the smell of one flower was bad a dozen going off was unbearable.

Zaiti, Rayla and Lujanne had to plug their noses and back away from the smell.

“Nooooooooooooooo, oh god this stinks, it burns my eyes. CALLLLLUUMMM.” Triz wailed at her situation.

Callum despite being in the same predicament as her only had a smug grin across his face. Removing himself from Triz she ran coughing and gasping for unpolluted air. A rapid casting of the aspiro spell from Triz cleared the area of the noxious odor, unfortunately the smell had clung to her and Callum.

Despite the gust of wind a light stink emanated from them, luckily they knew the smell wouldn’t last very long, even less with the aspire spell.

Callum was clearly proud of himself, the girls couldn’t help but find this mischievous side of him funny. Even Triz couldn’t stay mad at him long especially when that little distraction was clearly what he needed as his mood had considerably improved.

As they continued their march Callum spoke up.

“Can-can I ask you guys something?” A nod from the girls affirmed their interest in his question

“How did we get to Xadia so fast? You said I was barely out for a day” Confusion was audible in Callum’s voice as he tried and failed to figure out this mystery.

“We used our phoenix of course.” Lujanne spoke up.

Excitement crept on Callum’s face.

“Then where is it, why don’t we use it to fly?!” It was like a child being told they had a bunch of candy just for him.

“Oh its dead lad.” Callum’s excitement vaporized at Lujanne’s words.

“Oooohh don’t make that face it’ll revive once it’s recharged, it’s the second time it’s died actually. Once when you we got you and just yesterday after flying you to the border. Kind of funny isn’t it, it was there at the 2 most important events of this journey yet you never actually met.” Lujanne giggled, of course only she found that funny.

Callum for his part was just plain shocked he had missed meeting a phoenix not once but twice, well at least Lujanne said that it would be back so that was something he could look forward to.

As their journey continued Callum began exploring every magical fauna he could find, from flowers that sang, to the giant trees, to the various magical creatures they encountered. Callum’s dorky enthusiasm for discovery was back and in full swing.

Numerous times they had to pry him away from his latest discovery, once they had to struggle to get him to let go of a moon squirrel. The only explanation he gave when questioned was “it was so magically fluffy”.

Despite the setback Callum’s behavior was causing them they didn’t mind, if they had to reach the village by nightfall and have Callum in a good mood then a bit of extra time was a price they were willing to pay.

For hours they walked, for hours they watched Callum’s never ending energy dedicated to discovering every little thing Xadia had to offer him.

Finally the finish line was in sight, night had fallen a while ago with the moon illuminating their surroundings. At long last they saw it, the hunter’s village, finally their worries were over. After such a eventful few days all the girls wanted to do was sleep without having to worry about humans catching up to them. Even Callum seemed to have finally run out of energy as a lengthy yawn escaped his mouth.

They entered the village in formation with Callum in the center with Zaiti behind him, Triz and Lujanne to his left and right respectively and finally Rayla in the front. One might wonder why they felt the need to do this in their own territory, but the cacophony of voices they could hear coming from the square did not put them at ease. They hadn’t come this close to the end only to fail because of a moment where they dropped their guard down.

Cautiously moving in the direction of the shouting the sight that greeted them was something they never hoped to see their entire life. In the center of the square was Tiadrin currently engaged in a shouting match with Zeranya barely inches from each other, Lain was trying to pull his wife away from her much larger opponent but despite his best efforts she refused to budge. A bit further away were Runaan and Ethari looking on at the scene but ready to intervene should things get violent, gathered around them was a crowd of elves eagerly anticipating for the shouting match to deteriorate into an actual fight.

They couldn’t hear what they were talking about but she could guess, it was most likely about Callum. A squee broke up the fight as a skywinged woman rushed in their direction, a squee was given back in kind by Triz as she dashed towards the woman arms open. Colliding into a hug accompanied by squeals as the two women hopped in excitement at seeing each other.

“Hi mom I’m home.” Triz mumbled tears coming from her eyes, it might have been only a few days but her adventure felt like a lifetime to her.

The scene diverted the attention towards the group, as soon as Tiadrin spotted her daughter she dashed in her direction.

“Hi mooooohhh” Rayla didn’t get to finish her sentence as Tiadrin tackled her daughter into a bear hug, choking the breath from her lungs. Tiadrin was mumbling about her “baby” finally being home.

“Moooom, not in front of everyone please.” Rayla couldn’t help but be embarrassed at her mother’s behavior especially in front of such a large crowd. Deep down she really needed that hug, just a final confirmation that she was well and truly home, she could only spare a smile to Runaan, Ethari and Lain a warm smile as her mother refused to let go.

Zaiti couldn’t help but feel nervous, her mother had calmly walked up to her. There was no explosion of excitement or hugs, all she was receiving was her mother’s downwards glare.

Zeranya placed a hand on her shoulder, it was heavy but Zaiti refused to let it show.

“I’m proud of you.”

Those words shook her to her very core, she had said things like “well done” or “you did well”, but never had her mother explicitly stated she was proud of her. She knew this wasn’t empty compliments, her mother was far too straight forwards for that, if she said something she meant it.

She could only smile uncontrollably, her heart was pounding with excitement at hearing those words for the first time. Beyond her wildest dreams her mother responded with a smile of her own.

For his part Callum felt very out of place, everyone here had someone waiting for them. Mother, father, uncle or friends none of those were waiting here for him, his mood soured again at the thought of the family that he left behind in Xadia.

“And this must be the human I’ve been hearing so much about. Callum was it? Mine is Taili.” Taili had diverted her attention to Callum, her daughter right behind him.

“Y-yes, um pleasure to meet you?” Callum was nervous beyond measure, he had no idea how he was meant to greet her, a shake of hands? A bow? What place in society did she hold?

“Ooooohh he’s adorable look at that shy little face, those cute little cheeks. You do know how pick em sweetheart.” Taili said as she playfully pinched Callum’s cheeks.

Callum decided it was probably best to not do anything and let her have her fun, if he did something that was considered disrespectful in elven society it wouldn’t make his life easy.

“So that’s the little shit that thinks my daughter isn’t enough for him.”

Callum barely had time to turn towards the source of the voice before Tiadrin grabbed him by his collar held him up leaving his feet inches from the ground.

“You got balls not being satisfied with just my daughter. You think you should get those 2 as well, well listen up bucko either you stop messing around and settle for my Rayla or you tell me you took all three of them in one night.” Tiadrin was shaking Callum as she prattled on. Ethari and Runaan seemed to be of the same mind as they threw a rather angry glare towards Callum, Lain had a look of pity rather than anger. He most likely knew what it was like to be on the receiving end of his wife’s temper.

Triz and Taili seemed more amused by the scene than anything else, while Zaiti and Zeranya seemed uninterested in intervening watching although it was clear Zaiti wanted to intervene but was held back by her mother.

The crowd of gathered elves looked on in a mix of amusement and curiosity, thanks to Tiadrin lifting Callum up they could get a clear look at the human that had caused such a buzz.

“Mom, mom let go of him.” Rayla tried to intervene

“Not now Rayla mommy’s having a grown up talk with this cocky little human.”

Callum could only stare confused as to what the hell she was going on about, all three? Desperate for someone to explain it to him he quickly glanced at Rayla, Triz and Zaiti.

“Mom he doesn’t know.” Rayla admitted

Tiadrin cease throttling Callum about, freezing in place. Slowly turning her head towards Rayla.

“What do you mean he doesn’t know?”

“Something else you didn’t tell me. Perfect” Callum complained in an exaggerated tone, his expression having turned to one of exasperation. A glare from Tiadrin advised him to not add any other commentary.

Taking a deep breathe Rayla set about explaining the situation to her mother.

“He… had a lot to take in so we thought it would have been better to let him know bit by bit. So… we didn’t tell him that he would be… marrying all three of us. We told him about the whole transformation just today.” Rayla explained as she played with her fingers in an attempt to lessen the stress.

Callum’s expression became blank as he processed this new revelation, a bright blush appearing on his cheeks.

“Well why didn’t you say so.” Tiadrin did a 180 degree turn in attitude hastily putting Callum down.

Straightening his messed up collar Tiadrin leaned towards Callum.

“I’m sure he will make the right choice… won’t you Callum.” The barely contained threat was clear to everyone, Zaiti actually made a move to step in but a hand from her mother made her halt in her tracks.

Callum for his part didn’t know what to say, if he picked any side then he was certain their mothers would hold it against him, if he chose the option to pick them all then he was fairly certain he wouldn’t live long enough to see it through.

Luckily for him Lain stepped in locking his wife in a fully nelson hold, with a great deal of struggling and a bit of help from Ethari and Runaan who forced her hands open they manage to make her let of Callum.

“Let go Lain I’m not done talking, you better choose Rayla human!” Lain refused to budge, despite her best efforts to break free Tiadrin failed to escape. For a solid minute she had struggled before finally giving in.

“You got it out of your system” Inquired Lain

“Yes… Yes I got it out, perfectly calm.” Tiadrin replied.

Hesitantly he let her go and much to everyone’s relief she did not make a beeline for Callum. She still threw an angry glare at him as she saw Rayla making sure he was alright. It was clear to Tiadrin that her daughter liked this human beyond the desire to keep her race going, a strength and a possible weakness.

Wanting to make your human like you tended to make them more likely to come around but if you bent yourself in half trying to make them happy things would end in a disaster.

“You okay Callum?” Rayla checked around the human’s neck, looking for any potential injury.

“Yeah… yeah, just a lot to take in… again.” Callum reassured her.

Tiadrin watched on as Zeranya approached Callum, Rayla eyeing her in case she tries anything dangerous.

Callum was forced to look upwards at the towering woman before him, he had gotten used to Zaiti's huge size but her mother was an entirely different story, her silence only increased his fear of her.

An abrupt smile manifested before she grabbed Callum in a bear hug, lifting him completely off the ground. He flailed at the sudden lack of solid ground but his experience with Zaiti’s hugs told him that unless she let him go he was going nowhere. Deciding that going with the flow was the best option Callum ceased struggling and simply waited for her to have her fill.

“No resistance at all, you trained him well Zaiti. He’s like a little doll.” Zeranya exclaimed

Callum simply gave her his best “completely bored” look he could muster, if she was anything like Zaiti simply not reacting was the best option.

“Mom I didn’t train him in anything, he’s not a pet.”

“I’m kidding Zaiti, but he does seem unusually accepting of this, most humans would be trying to break free from an elf’s grip. Yet he continues to remain passive.” Zeranya said while chuckling at Callum’s continued bored expression.

“He’s just… very accepting. He even wanted to know about our culture during the trip.” Zaiti blushed as she said those words, clearly unwilling to tell the entire truth especially in front of such a large audience.

“Well if you come with us we can show some pretty amazing things. Ever seen a sunfire blade being made?” Zeranya set the bait, from her daughter’s letters and what she had said about him Zeranya could guess Callum held a great interest in elven culture.

A sudden spark of interest caused a subconscious shift in Callum’s expression, at least that side of him was honest.

Before Callum could reply Tiadrin came back in clearly angered at her statement.

“Excuse me but did my ears deceive me or did you just try to get my daughter’s fiancé to go with you.” Tiadrin said in a venomous tone.

“What he decides is his choice Tiadrin, not that you could respect that considering the first thing you did was threaten him.” Zeranya retorted in a smug tone.

“Sure doesn’t look like a choice to me considering you seem intent on keeping him glued to you.” Tiadrin prodded back.

Zeranya released Callum allowing him to touch solid ground again.

“There is a difference between holding him prisoner and a show of affection Tiadrin.”

Now the attention of the two women was squarely focused on each other, Rayla and Zaiti felt nothing but shame at their mothers bickering.

“Well Callum since you have an affinity for sky magic how about coming with us, we have a few books filled with fun sky spells.” Taili said

“Don’t you even think about Taili, he’s not going with you or with miss hothead over here.” Tiadrin quickly interjected

“The only hot head here is you Tiadrin” retorted Zeranya

“To be honest you are both hot heads, you really should cool off before you scare Callum away” Taili purposefully added fuel to the fire.

“SHUT UP!!” Both Tiadrin and Zeranya retaliated in unison.

The argument between the trio only heated further, threatening to lead to an actual fight. Runaan, Ethari and Lain were moving in to separate them, while Triz, Rayla and Zaiti were ready to assist if the need should arise. The crowd had cautiously taken a step back, not wanting to risk getting caught in it.”

In the end the fight broke up thanks to Callum who had burst out laughing. The odd reaction to such a heated argument snapped the attention onto him.

“I’m, I’m sorry but you really are just like your daughters but older. Spitting image.” Callum managed to stifle his laughter long enough to say his piece before breaking down laughing again.

“He does have a point, Rayla really does take after you Tiadrin.” Ethari chimed in, sensing an opportunity to defuse the situation without violence. Adding his own chuckling to Callum’s.

Strangely the fact that their daughters fiancé was laughing at their behavior in front of such a large crowd instilled a small pang of embarrassment in the bickering trio. Whatever negative trait they showed now could be implied to be also present in their daughter, something they did not want in the slightest. Ethari only amplified the effect.

Slowly the laughter died down and along with it the tension faded.

“I, I don’t know about you guys but, I’m… kind of tired.” Callum barely contained his yawn as if to emphasize his exhaustion.

“The human is right, it’s late and I’m sure you are very tired from your journey. How about we rest and continue this discussion in the morning.” Ethari didn’t miss a beat, seizing the opportunity to end this discussion before it might heat up again for whatever reason.

The group nodded in agreement as their own weariness made it’s presence known.

“There is an empty housing you could use, it only has one large bed unfortunately.” An organizer of the hunts quickly offered, mostly to just get these people out of here and get back to his job.

“We’ll take it.” Rayla, Triz and Zaiti quickly accepted before their mothers had a say in it. From their looks they could tell they weren’t happy, but right now they just wanted to rest, preferably with Callum.

The organizer quickly guided the group to the small hut while one of his colleagues dispersed the crowd. The building they were guided to was a simple round hut like structure made thanks to earth magic, giving it a great stability and endurance. A set of window and a wooden door were the only points where the outside world and the inside of the hut crossed.

Inside it was one giant room, it was clearly designed for either one person or a couple that was comfortable with each other and that would not be here for long. The bathroom only had a small area with a bucket, a water source and a small cover on a rod you could slide to block the view, although with how thin it was it most likely left a silhouette through it.

A table and a set of chairs were also present but what interested the group the most right now was the sweet fluffy looking bed.

It was large easily being big enough for 3 people, 4 if you squeezed a bit. A pure white mattress was covered by a large brown blanket and a 2 white squishy pillows.

Callum eagerly entered and set about scouting the architecture, meanwhile Triz, Rayla and Zaiti were at the entrance bidding good night to their family.

“And remember no funny business in there, even if the human makes a move.” Tiadrin insisted on that point, until the matter of ownership of Callum was settled there would be no “hanky panky” as Taili put it.

“Yes mom don’t worry, Callum would never do that.” Rayla reassured her mother, wanting to go rest.

“He’s the one in the most danger here.” Triz joked

A sound of something flopping onto the bed revealed itself to have been Callum who had quickly settled himself under the blanket having only bothered to remove his shoes and nothing else.

“Well night night mom. Dibs on the left side.” Triz exclaimed as she ran towards the bed before leaping onto Callum, knocking the breath out of him. Quickly grabbing his arm she quickly started getting comfortable, Callum was too tired to try fighting back.

“Hey no fair” Rayla whined as she rushed to secure a spot beside Callum’s right arm. Again the impact knocked the air out of Callum’s lunges.

“I think you broke something.” Callum half joked

“Oh god no” Callum muttered as he heard Zaiti’s thundering footsteps charging towards the bed.

“NO NO NO NO.” Callum panicked at the thought of her landing on top of him, a few cracked ribs would be the least of his worries.

Luckily for him she didn’t leap, more like hastily crawled onto the bed. She quickly settled down on Callum’s waist letting her head rest on his stomach. The pressure was a bit uncomfortable but it was bearable. The youngsters allowed their fatigue to get the better of them slowly dragging them to sleep.

“So what do you think of the human.” Runaan inquired

They had returned to their own temporary home, it was much larger one offering them all the space they needed.

“His name is Callum Runaan. I think he seems like a nice lad, at least for a human” Lain answered

“He did help defuse the argument you were having Tiadrin. It’s also pretty clear to me him and Rayla have made some kind of connection he didn’t protest anything she did.”

“Yeah but he has that with the other 2 and I don’t like it. He’s a ballsy little shit if he’s been flirting with all three of them, I don’t see why he doesn’t simply pick Rayla and be done with it.” Tiadrin complained

“Love we don’t know the whole story and besides you get cranky when you are tired.” Lain interjected.

“Who the hell are you calling cranky”

Lain embraced his wife cancelling out her rising anger. Runaan and Ethari had already left to go to their own room, too exhausted to want to continue this conversation.

“Let’s just get some rest and we’ll talk about it tomorrow, just like we agreed. When that’s done we’ll decide on what to do. Deal?”

“Fine you’re lucky I’m too tired to argue, but I am not planning on letting things end like this. Rayla shouldn’t have to share “her” catch with the other 2.”

“Like I said we’ll figure things out tomorrow.”

With that said, the couple slid into their bed, hugging each other in a loving embrace finally glad that their daughter is home safe and sound.

Before sleep took her Tiadrin promised herself one thing.

She would do everything in her power to make the human see Rayla was the best match for him. She knew Taili and Zeranya would do the same but on her honor as a former dragon guard and as Rayla’s mother she would not back down.


	14. Love is war… Especially if your mother is involved or will be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group sets out to Seta, the moms are on the warpath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you guys go chapter 14, I cant believe this story has reached 6000 views in such a short time. Thank you all for your support and comments.  
> I hope you enjoy this chapter.
> 
> It introduces a new character hope you guys will like her as much as the other OC's.

Viren was hurrying down the halls of the castle, the news he received caught him completely off guard. Sarai had snapped out of her trance, even more surprising was the cause, she had apparently received a letter from Prince Callum by means of an elven arrow.

Viren thought this was impossible, the elves would never have left something like that unguarded and considering how many times Viren had caught Callum trying to sneak up on him or into his archives the elves would no doubt have an easy time spotting him.

This didn’t make any sense, if Callum didn’t have the means of stealing something like that then it left only 2 options:

Either Callum found a discarded one which seems highly unlikely or the elves gave it to him which seemed even more unlikely. However, Viren remembered that the messenger arrows of the elves had small steps to take before the arrow took effect, if you didn’t know these steps it would be a simple arrow. He found it very hard to believe Callum would have been able to figure them out even if he had to admit Callum had a natural affinity for understanding and figuring how things worked.

This meant someone told him how to use it, the idea that one of Callum’s kidnappers had allowed him to write to his family made absolutely no sense. Maybe it was a ransom note, a taunt perhaps or even a forced message in the hopes of getting them to give up on him, only Sarai and Harrow knew the contents as of now.

Continuing his hurried pace through the halls not paying any attention to the servants who hurried to get out of his way, finally he saw the door leading to the throne room, as usual 2 guards were stationed at the door.

Noticing Viren’s approach they began opening the doors, unfortunately Viren was in a hurry and quickly squeezed his way through the door before they could open it completely.

Before him the throne room lay empty except for Sarai and Harrow who were both keenly observing a table containing a detailed map of Katolis and Xadia, it was frequently used for battle plans. The thought that they might go to war against Xadia worried him, on their own their kingdom had no chance of victory due to Thunder the dragon king. That overgrown lizard would no doubt spot their army miles away and quickly annihilate it, even if they took him out of the picture winning a war against Xadia would require the combined might of all 5 kingdoms and even then victory would be a costly one.

“For the last time Sarai an invasion of Xadia is impossible, we would never get past Thunder. I understand you want to get Callum back I do to but we need an actual solution, not a slaughter.” Harrow spoke up, his voice tense as he tried to find the right words to placate his wife.

“Then what about a strike force to sneak across the border? The elves managed to get across our borders surely we must have some way of doing the same.” Sarai grasped at any means she could think of.

Viren decided now was a good time to let his presence be known.

“I am afraid we lack any giant flying birds to cross the border undetected.” His interruption focused Sarai’s attention squarely on him, something he had to admit terrified him.

It reminded him of the one time she jumped him for taking the last jelly tart, her sweet tooth was legendary.

“What about you Viren, anything your dark magic can do?” The fact that Sarai of all people was willing to resort to dark magic, something he knew she hated spoke volumes of how determined she was to get Callum back.

“As much as I would like say it did Sarai, I have no spell that could help you.” Viren was lying, he did have a spell that could potentially send her straight to Xadia but he had never tested it and he certainly wouldn’t try it out first on Sarai.

“Sarai I understand your frustration but you said so yourself, Callum seems to be in good health especially since you know his state of mind based on his handwriting. Maybe we should consider talking to the elves about releasing Callum.” Harrow intervened

“If the elves planned on returning Callum they would have sent their demands already, whatever they want with him they don’t plan on doing with him they don’t intend to let him come home. Who’s to say they will keep that friendly attitude with him once they got what they wanted.” Sarai snapped back.

Both Harrow and Viren had to admit she had a point, they knew nothing of what the elves wanted and like she said that friendly treatment might only last until they get what they want. But again charging in head long into Xadia alone or with an army isn’t something that should be done, at least not when diplomacy is on the table.

Their silence seemed to anger Sarai further as she stomped out of the room kicking the door open terrifying the poor guards behind it.

“Useless all of you!” Sarai shouted as she disappeared from view.

“I’m sorry Viren, she has been like this ever since she got that letter from Callum. Just give her time to cool down.”

Viren simply nodded in response, he knew how Sarai was when the safety of one of her boys was concerned. The fact that she almost lost Callum not too long ago combined with the news that her sister had failed only made it worse.

Harrow handed Viren a parchment, it was the letter they had received from Callum. Reading its content only confused him further, it was indeed Cullum’s handwriting but why were the elves as “accommodating” as he described. If he was their prisoner they had little reason to treat him well, especially considering the history between their 2 races.

“Ask the crow master to send a message to Xadia, I want to know if they have any demands. If they don’t demand anything or deny Callum being within their borders then I am afraid we either have lost him or we will have to take a more aggressive approach.” Harrow spoke with a voice heavy with worry.

Viren couldn’t help but feel pity for his friend, the events these past few days have not been kind to Harrow. If they really had no means of getting Callum back then it would be a terrible loss to everyone.

Viren didn’t admit it to anyone but he did hope Callum could be brought home safely not just because he is the first human mage but also because he did enjoy Callum’s company and his talent for storing information in his mind was unparalleled.

With a bow Viren walked out of the throne room leaving Harrow on his own, as he walked through the halls towards the crow master’s chambers a sense of dread overcame him. Quickly scanning the area around him he failed to see anything that could be considered a threat, but his instincts continued to warn him of hostility aimed at him.

A hand flung itself over his mouth while another wrapped itself around his waist blocking his arms against his body. Struggling he was dragged out of view into a hardly used room. No matter how much he struggled he was powerless against his aggressor’s grip, that’s when it hit him. There was only one person currently in the castle that had that kind of strength, it was Sarai.

She released his mouth before rotating him so he faced her glare before she pinned him against the wall with her elbow.

“So Viren… Care to tell me about the spell you got that could get me to Xadia?” Her voice didn’t even try to hide the hostility in it.

“Sarai I already told you I do no…” A press from her elbow blocked his words, her glare intensifying.

“Oh Viren, I know you too well. If you really did have nothing to offer you always stay silent and simply look down, yet here you quickly answered you had nothing.”

Viren cursed his unconscious behavior, Sarai had noticed like a hound sniffing blood.

“Sarai I’ve never tried it on anything, much less a human it could kill you. Think of Harrow, of Ezran what will happen if this turns out badly.” Viren clung to the hope that her other loved ones would snap her out of her folly. He also hoped she wouldn’t notice him lying, he had tried it with inanimate objects and he was confident it would work for a human.

For a few moments Sarai seemed to hesitate her face softening before hardening into a glare once more.

“I highly doubt you haven’t tested it out Viren, you have a thirst for magic there is no way you would know of a spell without having tested it out. Last chance you either help me or I break each bone in your body until you do.” Viren could tell she meant it, her desire to retrieve Callum overriding any previous friendship they had. Sarai would get what she wanted, the only question was in what state Viren would be in once he gave in.

“What will I tell Harrow, he cannot afford losing you too. How will you even get back even if you do get Callum back.” Viren replied defeated.

“I can handle myself and I’m not stupid going as a human will get me caught but I’m certain you have something that can help me disguise myself. As for coming back I can steal one of their eagles, fairly certain I can get it to do what I want.” Sarai’s eyes dared him to try lying to her.

Viren couldn’t find it in him to argue, he had to admit Sarai was fierce and many beast had decided to do what she wanted rather than face her temper although she preferred less aggressive methods in normal circumstances.

“Very well Sarai if I can’t stop you then I will make sure that you have every advantage possible.”

Releasing Viren, Sarai followed as he led her to his lab. No matter how fast he tried walking Sarai was always just close enough to grab his throat if he tried anything, shutting down any hope of making a run for it.

Every step he took tortured Viren, having to betray his best friend like this and allowing his wife to go into the heart of Xadia right after almost losing his son.

Finally they arrived, as they entered Sarai shot a quick look of regret at the various body parts still on his shelves. He had to admit even he began to find them repulsive now that he knew that there was a way for humans to access magic, that all this time he had taken the easy way headless to the cost to others. In all the years he used it he never would have thought he would change his stance so thoroughly.

Searching through a chest in the corner of his lab he found what he was looking for:

A set of sun fire elf clothes, they were a simple shirt and trouser of red white and golden colours, typical clothing in any sunfire city. He had acquired them from some rather “unsavory” individuals, he didn’t ask exactly how they got them but he didn’t care. They were worn by the average citizen so they wouldn’t draw attention to Sarai making it ideal for her to blend in.

Another item he had acquired was a moonshadow amulet, however, with some experimentation he had managed to fashion it into a ring allow the user to maintain illusions while drawing less suspicion upon themselves by wearing it around their neck.

One item he made sure to give Sarai was a homing amulet he had made since Callum’s kidnapping, he didn’t even know why he had done it, maybe it was to reassure himself that Callum was indeed alive, that there was hope. Whatever the reason it would now serve as Sarai’s guide.

Finally was the incantation for the spell he had devised, it was inspired by an old myth from the moonshadow elves that through their nexus they were able to explore a world in between life and death. The spell he had created essentially created 2 holes in this world allowing someone to cross massive distances instantly, he had tested it with small objects even small animals and it worked perfectly, he was confident he could make it work with something larger and greater distances.

The scientist in him was getting the better of him, but he remembered why he was doing this. Not just because he didn’t want Sarai to rip his head off but also because secretly he agreed with her that a more proactive approach needed to be taken. It wasn’t the one he wanted or expected but there was no arguing with Sarai.

Handing her the clothes, the moonring and the amulet he left the room to allow her to get changed. Returning he found Sarai wearing said clothes, they were unfortunately a size too small for her emphasizing her figure. With a chant the moonring began to glow enveloping Sarai in light, once it dissipated she had become a typical sunfire elf, her dark hair had turned red, her white skin turned brown, a pair of dark red horns adorned her head, her pinky no longer present.

“As long as you wear the ring the illusion will last, the horns will feel real to those who touch it and your pinky will not be felt as long as the illusion holds. The amulet will guide you to Callum, but don’t let the elves see it they would definitely get suspicious” Viren explained.

A simply nod from Sarai was all he got from her.

“I will try to send you as close as I can to the elf city of Seta, if the elves came from different regions then that is where they will most likely head to. It is the only city in Xadia where all elements are present in equal measure, I doubt any elf would stand living in a city with a strong primal source other than their own, not for long at least.”

“Get on with the spell Viren.” Either she already knew this information or she was in a hurry Viren didn’t exactly care to find out which.

Viren grabbed one of his most prized possessions, a fossilized dragon horn. It didn’t hold as much magic as it did when it was fresh but it would do.

Beginning his chanting slowly before steadily increasing in speed and intensity until it almost sounded like Viren was a choir by himself. Purple electricity sparked around Sarai growing in intensity as Viren’s chanting did.

Finally with a final crescendo and a thunder clap Sarai was gone. Viren sighed with relief, he couldn’t see her arriving but the lingering effect of his magic told him Sarai had indeed arrived at her destination and was already moving.

That was one hurdle dealt with… Now he would have to deal with the one of explaining Harrow about what transpired.

\-----------------------------------------------------------

Morning had arrived at the hunter’s village and with it the problem concerning where Callum will be staying. The adults had made their way to the hut throwing glares and teasing looks at one another Tiadrin had honestly hoped Rayla would have won the human over before she got here, but life does not always go the way you want it to.

Arriving at the hut and peering inside the sight of the human being fiercely gripped by all three young girls annoyed her, she couldn’t understand why Rayla tolerated sharing him. The blissful smile of her daughter did calm down her anger as she knew she had a tough time opening up to people, if she was this attached to the human then it meant she felt he was trustworthy.

“Ooohh look at them, so cute together” Taili couldn’t help but squee at the sight.

For her part Tiadran just huffed, she had no intention of leaving things as they are, her daughter just needed a bit of help seducing the human. They clearly hadn’t tried a lot considering their journey so there was still time for Rayla to solidify her position in his life.

“Hey wake up lazy bones there are matters that need to be settled.” Tiadrin shouted eliciting groans and complaints from the girls. Rayla of all people just hugged Callum’s arm harder at her mother’s words.

“Come on girls the longer you stay in bed the longer it going to take to make it official between you and Callum.” Those words from Taili got the girls moving, of course not in a particularly coordinated or enthusiastic manner but it was progress.

After a few minutes of shuffling out of bed everyone had taken up a spot with their respective families alongside them, Lujanne had happily joined Rayla’s side only because they were fellow moonshadow elves, Callum was uncomfortably standing in the center of the room as he was the “guest of honor”.

“So we need to decide where Callum will be staying, I for one suggest to silver grove. Since the humans know Callum is with us who knows what the might do and since its hidden from invaders I think it is the safest place.” Tiadrin suggested although she didn’t really think the humans would be able to do anything, it was mostly an excuse to get Callum where Rayla had the advantage.

“I think it would be better if he cameback with us to Skyhold, after all his strongest connection is the sky I doubt he would feel at ease in an area with a strong connection to the moon.” Taili put down her own argument.

Tiadrin shot her a glare that would make even a dragon have second thoughts, yet Taili only replied with a mocking smile knowing fully well she was angering Tiadrin.

The discussion hadn’t even really started that tension were already rising.

With a sigh Zaiti spoke up before her mother had a chance to add fuel to the fire.

“I think it would be fair if we went to Seta, it is not far from here and with no dominant element it would be comfortable for all. Mother even owns a private property there, it would help make sure Callum stays safe, after all we know how some members of our kind are and a human with a connection with all six primal sources is definitely something they would try to get their hands on.”

Zeranya shot her a disapproving scowl but with the damage already done she saw no point in pressing the issue. The memory of what one particular family did remained fresh in their mind.

1 skywing elf had fallen for a human with a strong moon connection, she had managed to bring him back willingly to Xadia. The family was happy for her as they seemed genuinely fond of one another, unfortunately one moon shadow elf decided to snatch him away out of desire for that connection.

By the time they had found him he had forcefully been turned into an elf and repeatedly raped by the family holding him. What was once a bright and friendly human turned into a nervous wreck jumping at every shadow, although time allowed him to recover he never fully did. That family had indeed been punished but a sufficiently wealthy or powerful family could bribe or threaten officials to lighten the sentence or ignore it all together.

“I think it’s a good idea.”

“Same here” Rayla and Triz quickly jumped on the suggestion not wanting to give any chance for their mothers to voice their disapproval.

Taili and Tiadrin eyed their daughters visually checking that this really was what they wanted, when their daughters remained stalwart in the decision they knew that there was no point in trying to contest the matter.

A minute of silence followed as the group waited to see if anyone was going to try to protest or suggest something.

Rayla spoke up.

“There is another matter that needs to be discussed… For all the trouble we caused Lujanne we… promised her one conception… With Callum.”

Well the bomb has just been dropped, Callum’s face turned to a vivid red at the news.

“Well considering what she has been through at her age it is only fair. Although I suggest we settle this somewhere more secure.” Surprisingly Zeranya did not seem to protest or complain, the other adults even nodded in approval.

“Oh don’t worry Callum I don’t plan to make it a regular thing. Unless you want to that is.” That last comment by Lujanne earned her a few reproachful glares.

For his part Callum had kind of had gotten used to having this kind of information dropped onto him, he recovered quite quickly although the blush remained.

“Well then that’s settled I suggest we get going then, Seta is half a day away, the faster we get there the sooner we can get settled in.” Rayla quickly added.

Each group began to make their way outside with Callum having sped past the rest no doubt wanting to quickly escape that rather uncomfortable situation.

Unfortunately he walked right into another one.

“Who will he be riding with?” Lain inquired realizing his blunder too late.

All three girls snapped their gazes onto Callum, an expectant look on their faces.

The faces of their mothers told him that he would lose no matter which girl he picked, he threw an angry glare at Lain who sported a look of pity as he turned away from Callum.

Deciding to pick the only safe option he could think of he pointed at the elf known as Ethari. A small chuckle escaped Ethari’s lips as he noticed the boy’s desperation, the girls for their part were visibly disappointed while their mothers were quite clearly upset.

Callum quickly made his way over to Ethari’s mount before anyone could try to change the arrangement.

His mount looked like a giant fluffy cat with horns, a shadow paw if he remembered. Ethari lent him a hand as he heaved himself up onto the mount, seating himself behind Ethari he wrapped his arms around him as the shadow paw gently trotted into motion with the various other mounts following along.

Zaiti, her mother and her entourage were riding Inferno tigers, Rayla and her family were riding a mix of shadow paws and moonstriders while Taili and Triz simply flew above them.

Zaiti and her mother could easily have taken to the sky with their mounts but had decided to remain on the ground, he could guess it was because they wanted to keep an eye on him. He found it almost comical that they thought he would try to run away now.

The envious glare that the girls gave him didn’t put him at ease in the slightest, Ethari let out a small chuckle as he noticed what had Callum worried.

“Quite the spirited trio aren’t they.”

“Yeah… yeah they are spirited but nice.” Callum welcomed the opportunity to talk with Ethari, it distracted him from his surroundings and having a friendly conversation with someone was always good.

“You seem to like all three, must be hard for you.” Ethari gently wanted to probe how Callum felt, although he didn’t expect to get much considering the girls were circling him like a pack of wolves.

“Umm… yeah, yeah they are pretty amazing, each in their own way.” Callum couldn’t help but feel like they normally would be girls way out of his league, that the only reason they were interested in him was because of his “value” rather than who he is. Callum quickly chased those thoughts out of his head, the girls had made it pretty clear they were interested in him beyond what he possessed getting paranoid would only sour what he had with them.

“Oh do tell.” Ethari teased dropping the blood in the water as the girls inched closer like sharks as they didn’t want to miss what Callum was going to say about them.

“What… here… now?” Callum was beginning to regret his choice of a rider. What he thought was the friendliest looking of the bunch might be the most dangerous, maybe he should have taken his chances with the elf that was silently glaring daggers his way. Runaan was his name he believed.

“Well we don’t really have anything else to talk about and I must admit I am curious as to how you view Rayla, I am pretty much her uncle in everything but blood I have the right to be nosy don’t I.” A wicked smile across his lips.

Callum groaned as he was yet again in another uncomfortable situation he could not escape from, maybe he should knock himself unconscious by jumping off the mount.

\-----------------------------------------------

Siln couldn’t believe what he had just heard, watching the group depart a smug grin spread across his lips. A human with a connection to all primal elements, now that was a juicy piece of news that would no doubt interest the powerful families of Xadia. He blessed the elements for having been born a moonshadow elf with such a strong connection to the moon, even I the day with great concentration and effort he could mask his presence physically and mentally.

That was what had allowed him to listen in on the conversation, he had been in the room since last night and although he was worried someone would bump into him his worries were unfounded as no one went beside the bed.

It had taken everything he had to keep his wits about him as he listened on the veritable treasure trove of information.

Quickly writing up his message he wasted no time sending his shadow hawk in direction of the city of Seta.

His mouth as already watering at the thought the reward he would get for obtaining this information.

\---------------------------------------

Selaria was tending to her garden when one of her servants burst into her chambers.

“Mistress I am sorry to bother you but, we have news from the “human market” that we may have found what you are looking for.”

Those words were music to her ears. She was a star touched elf, even among elven kind they were extremely rare and long lived. Her midnight blue skin, her white hair that reached down her back, her Star markings beneath her eyes, her dark purple horns all signs of her being touched by the stars. Finding a mate among elves was already hard but finding one among humans was even harder and should one possess a human with a connection to the stars they can be certain that they will have numerous offers for him.

She had been waiting for years for this news, payed a hefty sum for priority concerning information about what she was looking, she had lived for over 300 years but the desire to ensure her legacy only came a couple of decades ago. Those 300 hundred years seemed short compared to the limbo she had to endure as she waited for a compatible partner. Everyday she begged the stars that today would be the day.

“But… unfortunately he seems to already be… claimed” Fear clear in his voice. She found it silly, she was not known for unnecessary violence or cruelty, maybe it was her constant calmness that terrified them. She didn’t know or care, right now the fact that someone already claimed him bothered her.

“Well I am certain I can offer something in return, who has claimed him?”

An audible gulp could be heard from the servant.

“The dawnguard family, the swift wing family and the former dragon guard Tiadrin and Lain.”

Now this broke her calm exterior, why would those groups be fighting for the same human. It didn’t make sense, she might understand the dawnguard as a tool for political maneuvering but not the other 2. Luckily her servant gave her the answer she sought.

“It seems the human has a connection to all… six primal sources…. And powerful ones as well. They are currently heading here and should be arriving soon.” A smile crept onto her face at the news.

“My oh my, that explains why they are squabbling over him. I want to be informed the second they arrive, also prepare a few “gifts” that those families might appreciate and a few human delicacies.” Selaria needed to move fast the other powerful families had no doubt heard the same information she had and were already planning to make their move.

She needed to get in the families good graces before even humoring the idea that they would be willing to allow her into the mix. If they refused, well she might just have to go talk to the man of the hour himself, after all he is the one she is interested in.

\--------------------------------------------------------------

Salux was bored, being a guard at the city of Seta offered little to no action forcing him to spend his days drinking away his boredom. The door of the tavern swung open and in came a beauty like he had never seen, a beautiful sunfire elf, her hair tied up in a bun behind her head, her eyes filled with a fire he couldn’t explain.

Maybe it was the alcohol speaking or maybe it was him being too used to having it easy now that males were rarer and as a “pure” sunfire elf he didn’t find any lack of success with ladies. Rising from his chair he clumsily walked over to the new arrival.

“Hey there beautiful, looking for some company.” His hand slipping down her waist, that was as far as he got before her fist collided with his nose sending him sprawling onto the ground.

Sarai had to hold herself back to not continue pummeling him into a fine red paste, she didn’t have time for that. She was here for one reason and that reason alone.

Find Callum.


	15. War preparations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group arrives at Seta, shit happens, moms prepare for war.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is guys sorry for taking longer than usual thank you all for being so patient. Here is chapter 15, a storm is brewing and Callum will have to choose to go with the flow or fight against it.
> 
> Again thank you all for the support, I really enjoy knowing that people are reading this silly fanfic of mine.
> 
> Without further ado enjoy.

The journey to Seta had been hell for Callum, Ethari constantly asked sensitive questions like did he have a favorite, how far has he gone with each, what made him fall for them. Of course those surrounding them were more than eager to hear his answer, whether it was the girls or their mothers it didn’t change anything their piercing gazes were impossible to ignore.

When the city finally came into view Callum had never been so happy to see an elven city in his life, the promise of being free to get off this cursed mount was something he thought couldn’t come fast enough.

The city was surrounded by walls with a single large entrance that seemed to be under heavy guard. Through the gate Callum could make out some of the buildings.

Its architecture was disappointingly plain, he was expecting something more “magical” out of the ordinary, yet it was very similar to home. Buildings were made from wood and stone, there was no extravagant colors.

“Not what you were expecting?” Ethari inquired as he noticed Callum’s disappointment.

“Oh uh yeah I was expecting something more… elvish?”

Ethari let out a small chuckle.

“Unfortunately we had to make a city where everyone is comfortable as no primal source is stronger here. So we took inspiration from you humans, don’t worry though it’s only the public buildings that are like that, private homes are more attuned to their owners.”

This piece of information got Callum excited, he only had seen badly drawn pictures of elven architecture and the promise of seeing it in person was one thing he definitely looked forward to.

Finally arriving at the city gate there seemed to a commotion on the walls as a crowd had gathered to watch. Up on the wall was a human, probably just entered his teenage years. He was dangerously close to the edge, a single step backwards would send him plummeting over the edge and with a fall that high it would most likely kill him. A trio of guards had amassed below, most likely hoping to catch the boy should he jump, not that Callum believed it would do much considering the height.

“Please Sam, just step away from there let’s talk about this.” A feminine voice could be heard from the wall.

“I trusted you even though you were an elf, I thought people were wrong about your kind and then you kidnap me. How do you expect me to trust anything you say?” The youth shouted back.

From what they could tell it was a recently captured human who wasn’t adjusting as well as Callum to his situation.

“I swear Sam I didn’t want to do this, but with the prince of Katolis being taken I had to do this or else I never would have been able to see you again.” The voice finally came into view, it was tide bound elf slowly inching her way towards the human. Her arms stretched out towards the boy, her voice having the same tone as someone trying to calm down a spooked horse.

Callum could already see that with every inch the elf took the boy inched backwards in response. If this kept up the boy would go over the edge before the elf reached him.

The elf probably noticed as well as she ceased her advance.

“Sam I swear everything I said to you was true, I never wanted to take you by force, I do like you so please give me a chance to explain.” Even from here tears could be spotted on her cheeks and the crack in her voice made her worry all the more apparent.

Sam seemed to consider her words, his body visibly relaxing ever so slightly. He was still tense but from his body language it didn’t seem like he was agitated or desperate enough anymore to jump off.

“This nonsense has gone long enough if you had the guts to jump you would have done so already.” A second older tide bound elf came stomping past the first one a reached out to grab Sam’s collar.

By reflex he lurched backwards sending him plummeting downwards, the smaller tide bound elf slammed onto the floor as she attempted to grab Sam.

“Noooooo!!!” the tide bound elf shrieked as she could do nothing but watch.

Knowing the guards wouldn’t be enough to cushion his fall Callum drew the aspiro rune before blowing towards the spot where the human would land before making it arch directly upwards colliding with Sam causing him to hang in the air for a second before resuming his fall although by this point he had gotten close enough to the ground that the guards could safely catch him before he built any new momentum.

The crowd cheered as the guards settled Sam on the ground while remaining close enough to intercept if he tried to run. For his part Sam seemed to still be in shock as he remained on the ground motionless seemingly trying to make sense of how he was alive.

“Out of my way, move, coming through” Barely a minute had passed and the tide bound elf had managed to run down the wall, out the gate and was now pushing past the crowd towards Sam.

Finally breaching past them her eyes fell upon her human.

“Sam, you’re okay” Leaping onto him she began to pepper him with kisses despite his best attempts at prying her off of him.

“I am never letting you out of my sight again.” Cradling Sam’s head against her chest she maintained her vice like grip, Sam having given up at this point.

Finally releasing his head she helped him back on his feet but continued to hold his hand tightly, dragging him along with her as she walked towards Triz and Taili who currently was sporting the biggest smile he had ever seen while staring at Callum.

Now that Callum looked around most of the group sported the same look and some in the crowd had the same look, Rayla and Zaiti were rubbing their foreheads for the head ache to come. They didn’t tell them he could use magic… great.

“Thank you so much for saving him, I honestly thought I was going to lose him.” The tide bound elf bowed to Triz.

“It wasn’t her it was the human, I saw it with my own eyes.” Someone from the crowd shouted.

“But humans can’t use magic.” Another person shouted in response

“Well I saw it too, the human used the aspiro spell and I don’t see a primal stone anywhere.”

The tide bouind elf threw a confused look towards Callum before a smile replaced it.

“Well thank you then, I honestly don’t know what I would have done if I had lost him.” The tide bound elf bowed to Callum, much to his embarrassment. The attention from the crowd was already bad enough but having an elf bow to him only made it worse.

“Come on Sam lets go home.” The tide bound elf wasted no time dragging Sam through the crowd, the older tide bound elf was waiting for her behind the crowd a look of regret on her face. Before she could even get a single word in the younger elf threw her a venomous glare.

“NOT. A. WORD MOTHER. You’ve done enough, we are going home.” The tide bound elf’s voice dripped with anger, things would definitely be tense for that group for the next couple of days.

With their departure all attention was on Callum, the idea of a human using magic on his own was unthinkable yet they had witnessed it with their own eyes. Ethari had turned around to stare at Callum flabbergasted just like the rest of the group, even Zeranya's guards who normally had pokerfaces stared in evident confusion.

The girl’s parents were equally as baffled throwing a look to their daughters demanding an explanation.

“Please not here mother let’s just get going.” Zaiti begged.

With a kick she set her mount into motion again splitting the crowd as they made way, Ethari and the rest of the group quickly followed marching past the gates and into the city.

The streets were bustling activity as people went about their lives, however, Callum noticed that their group was tenser than before. Zeranya and her guards were constantly tossing glances at people that stared too long, Tiadrin and her family were doing the same. The most apparent change in behavior was from Taili, she was walking on the ground instead of flying, she stuck close to Ethari’s mount, her facial expression was still her usual disarming smile but the crackling electricity from her wings and horns were a warning and a method of being prepared for a fight.

Or at least that’s what Callum assumed as he didn’t see another reason as to show of your power considering most people would recognize her easily.

“Ethari, why is everyone so… tense. I mean we are in an elven city so why is everyone so on guard?”

“Precisely because we are in an elven city Callum, normally a human’s primal connection is so weak they cannot use spells unless they turn into elves. Yet you have a strong enough connection to use magic, can you imagine how strong it would be if you became one of us, I recon you could easily reach Taili’s level right from the get go. That makes you a VERY desirable human, enough that most would kill to have a chance to have and some do not care about your consent in the matter or that you are taken.”

“Well I didn’t have a say in the matter with those 3.” Callum joked earning him a glare from Ethari.

“That’s different Callum, the girls have your best interest in mind and are willing to make it an easy transition for you. Some elves do not care in the slightest and will take what they want whether you like it or not. Do you understand?”

Ethari’s tone conveyed how serious he was, now Callum understood why everyone was so on guard. If he was as valuable as Ethari said and he just advertised it to everyone with that spell then there would no doubt be some of the more daring elves that would try something unless properly dissuaded.

Now that he paid attention he was getting a lot of looks from various elves around the streets, some were curious, some were friendly, some were blatantly flirty, others were “hungry” but the one he got the most was one of excitement. It reminded him of Ezran’s face when he knows the baker is bringing out the Jelly tarts from the oven and was waiting for his chance to go for it. Unfortunately he was the Jelly tart this time.

Luckily nothing happened as trying to get past an escort of this level without proper preparation was suicide.

After a good 20 minutes of tense walking they finally arrived at the estate. A wall separated the grounds from the rest of the city, they had gold and white colors typical of sunfire architecture.

A large metal gate guarded by two sunfire elves presented itself as the only entrance to the estate, the guards quickly began opening as they noticed Zeranya’s approach. They eyed the rest of the group with suspicion before Zeranya gave them a nod signifying they can be allow to pass.

Once the entire group was through the guards shut the gate behind them. Inside was a large open grass field split into 4 sections by a pavement that led from the get before splitting into three separate paths. Several groups of trees in each section provided some shade and “liveliness” to the place.

Straight forward was a large luxurious looking mansion possessing the usual golden colors sunfire elves seemed so fond of, no doubt the main house. It had a rectangular shape to it with a simple triangular roof, one would almost think it was of human design apart from its colors and the sun like symbol above its doors. It was smaller than the castle in Katolis but Callum could imagine that it still housed its fair share of servants some of which were dutifully waiting for their master’s arrival b the stairs leading inside the house.

To the right was something that could only be described as a stable of sort, wide and spacious Callum could see wide doors separating each stall. The major difference being that it was much larger clearly built to house creatures like Zeranya’s mount and not horses.

To the left was another house, smaller but similar in looks and structure except it lacked the golden colors and the sun symbol. Instead the colors could only be described as “plain” with the being brick brown and the roof of a vivid red. He guessed it was the guest house and was built “plain” to make it easier for non sunfire elves.

Callum also noticed a small detail there was a small river flowing through the compound in a straight line a bit further from their current position, he had to admit it added a nice atmosphere to the whole place.

It still took a good minute for them to reach the main house upon their arrival the group dismounted where the servants proceeded to take the reins of their mounts.

“Take these to the stables. Guide the boy and those three girls to separate rooms in the main house. Make sure the boy is comfortable. For the rest find them a room in the guest house.” Zeranya firmly ordered and the servants.

A click of a tongue could be heard from Tiadrin causing Zeranya to turn around to glare at her.

“I am allowing these 4 to be in the same building because forcing them apart will help no one, I am already allowing you to remain in my estate free of charge so do not test my patience Tiadrin.”

“As for you Callum I know it might not be the most fun thing to do and you no doubt want to explore the city but considering what happened I would like that you stay inside the estate at least for a few days.”

Callum could only nod in response, if what Ethari had told him was true waiting inside for a few days until things are sorted out is a much more preferable alternative to getting kidnapped again with less friendly captors.

Suddenly Taili grabbed hold of Callum’s head forcing his head against her chest. Taken by surprise by this sudden show of affection Callum or anyone for that matter no one could react properly.

“Oooohh don’t worry Callum I’m sure Triz will keep you company in the meantime, you can go right ahead onto the next stage you have mommy’s permission. Give me lots of grandkids don’t worry about money I’ve got it covered, go at it like rabbits.” Taili squeed as she continued crushing a very embarrassed Callum in her embrace.

“Wait wait isn’t this a bit too sudden? What about the whole turning into an elf thing?” Callum threw the first excuse he could come up with.

“Oh its true it would be better but considering you already have a strong enough primal connection to use magic then should nature take its course before that you have my full support.” Taili didn’t relent even as Callum struggled to try to break free.

“Mom I know you are excited, I am too but I want to wait until the ceremony. After that I promise kids are going to be my priority.” Triz interjected.

“You’re not helping!!!” Callum protested

“As “amusing” as it is to watch you couldyou free Callum so he can get settled in, I am sure you have a few things you wished to discuss with your daughters in private.” Zeranya intervened

Releasing Callum Taili noticed the servants that were waiting to guide each family to their respective rooms. Not wanting to delay any progression to her daughter’s relationship with Callum she happily followed Triz into the house throwing Callum expectant glances along the way.

However, Tiadrin held Rayla back handing over her things to Lain.

“Sorry honey, me and Ralya have a little thing to do. Girls only. Why don’t you spend some time with Callum, get to know him more, he is going to be our son in law after all.”

Tiadrin started leading Rayla back towards the gate while her husband and friends followed the servants to get their things set down.

“Zaiti I would like to speak to you in my chambers.” Zeranya called out to her daughter as she followed the group.

“Yes mother.” Zaiti nodded in acknowledgement of her mother’s orders.

With her daughter informed Zeranya followed the group, yet what Tiadrin was up to with her daughter nagged her thoughts.

“Oh well we will find out soon enough I suppose.” She thought to herself before focusing her attention to the upcoming discussion with her daughter about why she was not informed Callum could use magic already.

\--------------------------------------------------------

“Mom where are we going?” Rayla had enough, she had obediently followed her mother in silence through the busy streets for a good 10 to 15 minutes. She had no idea what her mother was planning but she had never been this serious before.

“We are getting weapons” Tiadrin answered

“Mom we are not threatening Callum to go through the ritual. I already threatened him with weapons before I am not doing it again, I‘ve been earning his trust steadily I am not throwing everything away because you can’t fucking wait for him to come around and if you think about taking Callum by force back to the Silvergrove you can fucking forget it.” Panic and anger swell within Rayla, she was not going to let all her effort with getting closer to Callum go to waste because of her mother.

“Your father was right you do have my mouth, but when I say weapons I meant a woman’s weapons. Since what you brought home is a one in a life time opportunity we need to go all out, yes I know you said you want to share but nothing is set in stone yet so you got to make sure you stay on his mind or else one of the girls will seduce him and have him all to herself.” Tiadrin replied not even looking back at Rayla.

Rayla had no idea what her mother meant by a “woman’s weapons” but she could tell it wasn’t an actual weapon. Instead of anger and panic what she felt was confusion and curiosity, she didn’t believe Triz or Zaiti would deliberately try to break their agreement but the idea of it happening even by pure accident sent shivers down her spine. If her mother had a plan she might as well listen to it, after all she managed to convince dad to marry her.

“Ah here we are” Tiadrin exclaimed.

It was a shop, a shop of women’s clothing. Is this what she meant by a “woman’s weapons”? Following her inside a vast array of clothing from different elven cultures was presented before her, there was so much Rayla didn’t even know where to begin. Rows upon rows of clothes one could spend the entire day trying them all and not even have tried half of them. Her mother on the other hand seemed to know exactly what she was looking for heading to a section that seemed to offer clothes of moonshadow origin exclusively.

“Well if it isn’t little miss Rayla herself back from manhunting eh?” A familiar voice called out causing Rayla to turn towards the counter. Behind it was her friend Zain, she was a fellow moonshadow elf of similar build and appearance to Rayla the only major difference being her spiky white hair that didn’t even reach her shoulders, she was also slightly smaller than Rayla. The biggest difference between them wasn’t physical but rather in terms of personality, while Rayla was serious and more reserved Zain was open and laid back as well as a gargantuan pervert. Zain was well known for somehow always sniffing out couples that are getting intimate in more isolated places. If none are present Zain is more than happy to generate and avalanche of crude jokes or questions to whoever is unlucky enough to be her target. Rayla felt pity for whatever human would catch her interest when she would get her chance at hunting, if the practice continued considering what had happened.

“Hi Zain seems like you landed yourself another job while I was gone, if I recall you got fired from the last one because you caught the manager cheating with someone else and caused a whole scene about it.” Rayla answered with a smile, it was nice to see a familiar face.

“Ah yes that, shame really they were getting really into it too, should have waited a bit longer. But yeah got myself this nice job here, actually had it since before you left although you would know this if you left the Silvergrove from time to time. Had this job for a good 2 months.”

“That’s a record for you, surprised you haven’t made a customer so uncomfortable that they had to fire you.”

“That’s hurtful Rayla.” Zain replied in a clearly exaggerated manner.

“Nah but I like this job so I make sure the person I’m messing with is someone that doesn’t mind… Like you.” A sly grin formed on her face.

Great here comes the barrage of embarrassing questions, although Rayla didn’t want to admit that it she was looking forward to gushing about Callum.

“Soooooo… I heard you caught yourself quite the human Rayla, a cute one that has such a strong connection to magic that he can use spells already. Lucky you.” Zain inquired.

“Yes Zain I got a human, he is cute, he’s got a cute brown hair, emerald eyes you could stare into for hours and he’s been very cooperative and understanding considering we kidnapped him. He is especially cute when he gets excited, he’s like a little pup exploring everything he can find. Just like you said he can use magic as well.” Rayla gushed over Callum, not even bothered by the growing grin on Zain's face.

“When you say excited you mean excited or excited excited?” Zain asked in a sultry tone.

“Typical Zain latching onto the possibly raunchy details, no it’s simple excitement about elven culture and Xadia and pretty much anything to do with magic.”

“So you haven’t done him yet?” Zain said in a disappointed tone.

“NO I haven’t Zain we are waiting for him to come around to the ritual on his own terms before we try to take things further.” Rayla snapped back

Zain sported a bored look as she rested her head on her hand while letting her elbow rest on the counter as support. Suddenly her face changed to one of focus as she seemed to be thinking hard about something.

“Wait a minute, you said we. Does that mean you are sharing? Oh my god Rayla you kinky girl, I knew you were a fellow pervert you were just hiding it better than I did. As your senior I humbly welcome you to the club.” Of course Zain would notice that tiny detail and spin it into the dirtiest idea she could think of.

“I am not doing it because I find it “sexy” or “naughty” things happened and it’s the best arrangement we could find.” Rayla answered, a red blush on her cheeks.

“Is that why you are here with your mom? To find some good clothing to make sure you are number one in your human’s heart?” Zain teased.

“Mom said we were getting a “woman’s weapons”” Rayla air quoted the last words.

A look of shock forced its way onto Zain.

“If it’s what I think it is I think you should run while you can.” Zain said with a unusual tone of sincerity.

“Alright Rayla try these on and show me how you look with it.” Tiadrin's voiced grabbed their attention.

“Uh oh too late.” Zain said in a sing song voice.

Turning to face her mother Rayla’s heart sank once she saw what her mother was carrying. Clothes and underwear, VERY revealing underwear and outfits. Some had large openings at chest height to advertise the wearers assets, others would clearly cling to the wearer showing any curves, some underwear was practically see through except for a few denser areas that would hinder the view, some was practically string that would cover absolutely nothing.

Rayla would never be able to wear that, now she understood Zain’s words. Before her mother could take another step forward Rayla broke into a sprint for the door, running out of the shop with Tiadrin hot on her heels having dropped the clothes to pursue her escaping daughter.

“Rayla get back here, don’t you run away from me!” Tiadrin shouted at her daughter. The other elves knew it was best to simply get out of the way and not get involved as the duo ran through the streets.

\---------------------------------------------

“Mother I know we didn’t tell you about the fact that Callum could use magic but it was specifically to try avoiding something like this. If one of the organizers read it in a letter and began talking about it the damage would be immense.” Zaiti explained. Few times in her life had she been this scared and right now her mother was positively the scariest thing she had ever seen. Not because she was shouting or threatening her, quite the opposite she was calm and had remained quiet the entire time.

“I understand your reasons Zaiti, it was a good choice you and your… “friends” made. However, now that it has been seen in public you must understand 2 things:

You need to convince him as soon as possible to undergo the ritual so that you can officially be married. The sooner the better as you know as long as he is human he is not considered a citizen of Xadia and as such has much fewer “rights” than we do. I suggest you do not trust those 2 blindly even if they do not do it consciously Callum might fall completely for one of them if you do not give it your all.

The second point as you can guess is that Callum will always need an escort, a human like him will attract a lot of attention both good and bad. So if you must allow him to explore the city you are to go with him and do not let him out of your sight even for a second.

Do you understand?”

“Yes mother I understand” With a bow Zaiti left the room, no doubt to go check on Callum. As she left one of the servants entered the room.

“I am sorry to disturb you mistress but Lady Selaria has asked to meet you to “talk” as she put it.” The servant said as she bowed.

Of course Selaria would be the first to react, the damn star elf had a considerable wealth at her disposal and obtaining information like this would be child’s play to her. She didn’t like the idea of sharing this jewel with any other family but considering how difficult it was for Star touched elves to find compatible partners she believed that Callum could be the key to cementing an alliance with Selaria and keep her “loyal”. After all her council and her ability to have visions of the future were something that could not be ignored, countless shops flourished when they followed her advice while many more failed when they failed to heed it.

“Very well send her in.” Zeranya first need to test the waters before deciding on anything and this “talk” would be the perfect opportunity.

\-------------------------------------------------------

Triz had never been happier in her life, ever since she had been in the privacy of her new room with her mother she had been showered with praise and compliments on bringing Callum back.

“Now Triz I know you want to take it easy but the battle for his heart is only beginning. Yes I know you agreed to share but remember Callum has yet to say his piece in the decision and if he ends up falling from one of the other 2 in the meantime there is nothing you will be able to do. So spend as much time as you can with him do anything to maintain and increase your position in his heart, you don’t need to sabotage the others that would make you look bad but don’t fall behind.” Taili instructed her daughter a wide smile still on her lips.

“Don’t worry mom, I don’t intend to lay back. Now that we are in Xadia I can finally spend more time with Callum, I am certain he will be willing to go through the ritual soon.” Triz beamed with pride as she was confident Callum would come around very soon.

“Wonderful, now I have a little present for you as going through the ritual is one thing but taking your relationship to the next stage is another matter.” Taili pulled out a pink see through bottle from her bag and presented it to her daughter.

“What is it?” Triz inquired.

“Spring flower perfume.” Taili happily answered

Spring flowers were a special kind of flower that appeared exclusively in the beginning of spring, their pollen had no effect on females but on anything male it would instill a deep urge to procreate. As a result perfume made from it would make its wearer extremely attractive to any male of the same species. The perfume was nowhere near as strong as the undiluted pollen and those under its effect would still be able to control themselves, it would simply give them a “nudge” in the desired direction.

“Mom I… I don’t want to drug Callum into getting intimate with me, I want it to be natural. Drugging him would destroy any trust I've built with him” Triz said I a panicked tone.

“Oh don’t worry dear, you’re thinking of the pure pollen. This little treasure will simply help him find the confidence to take that step once the moment comes. Once he’s undergone the ritual and has had time to settle in if he cannot bring himself to take things further out of shyness or nervousness just spray some of this on your wings flap a bit in his direction and voila let nature take its course. If you have to share it with the other 2 then so be it but this is mostly for you. Just promise to have lots of kids.” Taili said with an innocent smile despite the rather odd request.

“Don’t worry mom I plan on having as many as I can, at least 10 minimum.” Triz enthusiastically replied.

“That’s my girl go big or go home.”

The two women hugged as they planned their future with Callum.

\------------------------------------------------------

“Drinks for table number 2 Senna” The bar tender called.

“On it boss.” Sarai moved to take the platter, Senna was the fake name she came up with as her cover. After her incident with the guard the bartender had offered her a job as a waitress as he said she could “hit harder than any drink he has, and she can handle herself”, he even offered her a room for her to live in. Normally she would have refused the job as Callum was her priority, however, a bar was where the people’s lips were the loosest, making it the ideal place to find any information concerning Callum and if someone got too “friendly” with her she would make sure their teeth are as loose as their lips. The fact of having a free living space was just extra jelly on the jelly tart.

As she approached the table designated number 2 the conversation between the two patrons caught her attention. Both were women, something she had found strange since she arrived was the fact that there seemed to be a good amount more girls than boys. However, Sarai just chalked it up to it being like this in this city specifically.

“I swear Lena I saw him use the aspiro spell, can you imagine a human using magic everyone thought it was impossible. I’m telling you should try your luck, he’s bound to come out at some point.” The patron talking was a blood earth elf, her large tree like horns covered in plants gave it away.

Her companion was a wingless sky winged elf based on the color of her skin and her horns.

“Mila I don’t have the slightest fucking chance did you see who was accompanying him, the fucking dawn guard family, the swift wings and the former dragon guards there is no way they would let me get close to him, much less flirt.” Lena complained.

“What are you girls going on about” Sarai inquired innocently.

“Didn’t you hear there’s a human that can use sky magic, he came in the city just today. He was being escorted by the dawnguard, swift wings and two former dragon guards I saw it with my own eyes.” Mila answered with a surprising degree of glee in her voice.

“You certain it was a human?” Sarai inquired doing her best to act innocent as she was already convinced it was Callum, there was no other human that could use sky magic.

“Absolutely, five fingers, brown hair, green emerald eyes, cute as an adoraburr. Even weirder he wasn’t tied up or anything, no collars or restraints almost like he was going with them willingly. Probably just had given up considering who was guarding him”

Mila confirmed her suspicion. It was her baby, her baby was here within reach. It took everything she had to control herself, right now she needed to collect any information she could as she knew nothing of those families and this patron was her best bet.

“Sorry but I’m not familiar with these “families” as you called them.”

“Girl which rock you been living under? Anyway I ain’t giving that kind of info for free.” Mila gave Sarai a grin making it clear she wanted something in return.

“Fine, those drinks are on me then.” Sarai smirked at Mila, at least she was easy to figure out.

“Right on sister, sit down then because this isn’t going to be a short explanation.”

Sarai sat down intent on noting down any piece of information that could help her find Callum. That comment made by Mali struck her as odd, Callum was willingly following the elves? No she couldn’t imagine it, he probably was under some kind of spell, one that she would break one way or another.


	16. Negotiations and preperations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The reader and Callum get to know Selaria, dinner is served and Callum must face one of the most terrifying events in his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hers an early chapter 16, thinking up the details for Selaria really got me in the writing mood. Consider this chapter a two parter of sorts, I originally wanted to make it one chapter but it was getting so long that I decided to "split" it in 2.  
> Expect the remaining elven competitors to be introduced in the next chapter.  
> Hope you guys enjoy this chapter and I hope you find Selaria as interesting as the other OC's.

Within a secluded room of her mansion Zeranya was currently seated across Selaria. The room was her private office, a large table made out of marble was in the center of the room and various high class chairs were around it although only 2 were currently occupied.

Zeranya didn’t like dealing with her, she kept teasing everyone that they were like “children” compared to her. In of itself it wouldn’t bother her that much but the way she talked it was like a mother talking to a child that didn’t know any better.

What’s worse was her outfit, normally she wore a large stuffy coat the covered most of her body, yet here she was with a very revealing and very clingy dress. It was of purple color it wrapped around her torso, clinging to her like a wet towel, there was even a damn opening at the level of her chest letting anyone get a good view of her bountiful figure. Once it reached her hips the dress split in half from the sides leaving her legs bare for all to see as well as accentuating her posterior, the rest of the dress fell down as a long strand from her front and back.

If she didn’t have those her nether regions would be clearly visible when she would seat herself. Her hair had also been tied into a long pony tail while a small purple scarf made out of the fur of some animal of Xadia adorned her neck.

Every part of her screamed sensuality and maturity, if Zeranya had to guess she was hoping to run into Callum and give him a sneak peek of what she could offer.

“So Selaria my servant said you wished to talk, would you care to inform me about the exact subject of your visit?” Zeranya knew why she was here she just wanted to force her to admit it.

“Oh you know exactly why I am here sweetie, it’s the talk of the whole town. A human using primal magic on his own, now that’s quite the news.” Selaria spoke in a calm soothing tone, despite having something she has been desiring for so long finally within her reach her attitude remained the same.

“So you want to meet Callum, I’m afraid he is currently unavailable as he is getting settled in. You will have to come another time.” Zeranya wanted to break down that smug façade of hers, try to get her angry by denying her what she was after.

“Please dear I know very well your servants are handling most of it, you know keeping him locked up isn’t good for his health. After all just like us humans are very social creatures, keeping him away from everyone won’t work in the long term.” It seems Selaria had decided to play the same game as her.

“We are protecting him from less restrained members of our kind, besides he is already taken with my daughter and his connection is of sky origin. So if your goal was to see if Callum was compatible with you I am afraid you are wasting your time.”

“That’s strange, my source told me he has a connection with all of elements, only that the sky has manifested to that degree.” Selaria innocently countered.

“So she knows that too, she really is like a hound hunting its prey.” Zeranya thought to herself.

“As much fun as this little game is I have better things to do, so let me get straight to the point. What will it take to be involved in your little “party”?”

The fact that Selaria was getting straight to the point was highly unusual, Star touched elves were always known for their patience as their long lives allowed them to wait a very long time to obtain what they wanted. If she wasn’t walking around the subject it meant she was pressed for time.

Zeranya could only think of 2 reasons why she would be:

Either she is that desperate for a child that she is willing to go straight for it rather than speak in half-truths and riddles. Something Zeranya strongly doubted.

The other possibility was that there were other players up and about, players that left her no other choice but to act fast. This option seemed more likely. If that was the case, then the other families were on the move and things would get very tense for everyone. None of them were known to give up easily.

“I am afraid I cannot answer that, my daughter already has 2 “rivals” although she seems to have made peace with them, I doubt the arrival of a fourth one will please them. Maybe come back once things have settled down a bit.” Zeranya didn’t really mean the last part, she just wanted to see what Selaria would be willing to offer for a spot.

Selaria remained quiet, deep in thought before finally speaking after a minute.

“Well then I suppose you are correct, if things are as they are trying to brute force my way would only sour my first meeting with him. I guess I shall wait until a better moment, by the way I do hope to see Callum at the ball.” Selaria teased Zeranya with a bit of info.

“What ball are you talking about?” Zeranya jumped onto this new information. A smug grin on Selaria’s lips, she had just denied Zeranya what she wanted and rubbed it in her face that she would have a free opportunity to meet Callum on her own terms regardless of what she did.

“Oh you do not know? The Sirens are organizing a ball for tomorrow to celebrate the safe return of your little trio, they even specified the human is invited too. I would have thought you already received your invitation.” Selaria spoke with a clearly false tone of innocence. The Sirens were the most powerful tide bound family in all of Xadia, whether it was droughts or sailing the seas any water related subject was their field of expertise. In terms of their relationship with humans theirs was one of the most unstable ones, just like the sea they were unpredictable. No two members treated their partners the same way, some were borderline hostile to their husbands seeing them only as a means to an end, others practically fawned over them and spoiled them making sure their every need was met even if it was sometimes at the cost of their freedom.

“Oh well I suppose you will receive it shortly, I will see myself out then. It was a pleasure talking with you Zeranya, glad to see you haven’t changed.” Her business done Selaria left the room leaving Zeranya alone and frustrated at having made no progress at all. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go Zeranya was the one who had what Selaria wanted yet she felt like she was the one who had been on the back foot the entire time.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Selaria calmly walked through the halls of the mansion, she had fun. She had teased Zeranya with the possibility of a “negotiations” only to slip it from under her feet, she had hoped that Zeranya would have rushed to try to get her interest back allowing her to be in a position of power as Zeranya most likely hoped she would rush for Callum like some hormone driven teenager. Yet Zeranya didn’t try to rekindle her interest even when she had the opportunity, she knew Zeranya well if she didn’t make an offer then it meant she couldn’t make one.

“It seems her daughter is quite taken by this human if Zeranya doesn’t try to force her to use him as bargaining chip.” Selaria thought to herself. She might not show it but Zeranya cared deeply about her daughter and their relationship, something Selaria had picked up from their previous conversations.

She also knew why Zeranya hadn’t sent guards to escort her out, it was a matter of pride. Physically speaking Selaria was utterly pathetic almost anyone could overpower her, her strength lay in her knowledge, her ability to plan far ahead and her words. If Zeranya ordered guards to escort her out and make sure she didn’t come into contact with Callum then she was admitting that she could steal Callum from her daughter without forcing him. It would be an insult to her daughter and herself, as a result Selaria was free to take a slightly longer way out.

She hoped she might have a run in with the human, make a good first impression. Yet luck wasn’t on her side, despite walking around for a good 10 minutes she found no sign of the human. Some people think that being a star touched elf is nothing but a blessing, which is partially true, long life, a perspective of the world no one else has, the ability to look into the future and people’s souls. The last part was something many wished to make use of, if she tries hard enough she can enter a person’s soul during their sleep and talk to them through it or even force another person into that soul, this makes it ideal for passing along information without anyone being the wiser.

She could even see the connections and feelings that person has with others making it ideal for matchmaking purposes, something Selaria enjoyed indulging from time to time. Seeing youngsters hook up and start their own family always brought a smile to her face, yet these past few decades that had turned to jealousy.

When she saw them getting to know each other, when they started getting intimate moment, when they have their first child, when they got to see those children grow up all of those things made Selaria jealous. Before she hadn’t cared at all but time takes its toll on you even if you can live for centuries, she started to feel lonely. She wanted someone she could trust completely like they did, to share your inner most thoughts with, to be at your most vulnerable with, to have a child or several and watch them grow up.

At first she could bury the feeling but as she saw each generation leave this world while ensuring the next generation is ready to take up the torch that desire to have children grew each day until she could no longer deny it, Selaria was young by star touched elves standards but she was already thinking of settling down. Maybe it had to do with what the dark mage had done that caused that desire to come much earlier than it did for her mother who had her at 700 years old.

Some say that she seeks a star touched mate because she wants to ensure a “pure” heir, that wasn’t the whole truth. She would indeed prefer a star touched elf child but that wasn’t a deal breaker for her, she would love any child regardless of their primal source. The real reason she desired a star touched child is she couldn’t stand the idea of seeing them leave this world before her, after all she still has 700 years to live and seeing generation after generation of her progeny depart from this world before her would break her. That was why she desired a child like her, someone that would outlive her and not the other way around, this human called Callum was the only human with a connection to the stars in decades she needed him more than she wanted to admit it. As for their partners life span things were a bit different than other elves, if their partner wasn’t a full star touched elf after their transformation and they truly loved them with all their heart then that Star touched elf would die around the same time as her lover.

Her mother still had 300 years left but died around 70 years after giving birth to her, her father had changed into an earth bound elf. He lived for 70 joyful years, she had never seen her mother so happy, when his time finally ran out her mother peacefully passed away a week later. She did not blame her mother for following her father into the afterlife, that was simply how strong their bond was, one couldn’t live without the other. In her eyes it was one of the most pure displays of love she had ever seen.

If she missed her chance with this human then primal knows how long she would have to wait before another star touched human is found, by then she was certain the desire would have driven crazy.

Finally exiting the mansion Selaria was ready to call it a day and wait for the ball to introduce herself, as she walked towards the main gate something caught her eye. Seated under the shade of a tree there was someone focused on drawing, his lack of pointy ears and horns along with his extra fifth finger made it abundantly clear who it was even with his back towards her. He was alone, no guards or family members to interrupt her, she doubted she would get another chance like this.

Selaria made one final check that she was still at her most sensuous and presentable, her legs were nice and visible, her valley strained against her outfit, the curves of her behind were advertised by the dress resting on it. Everything was in order, seizing her chance Selaria calmly walked towards the drawing human.

As she got a better look at him she realized the rumors were not exaggerating, he is cute, especially those emerald green eyes of his were enthralling, so full of vigor and focus. Having crept behind him she could see what he was drawing, it was Zeranya, the boy had captured every detail of her, from her size to her fiery look. The boy clearly had talent for drawing, he was so focused that he actually failed to notice her arrival.

“I must say that is a wonderful drawing.” Selaria spoke up causing the human to snap in her direction and jump to his feet at the sudden intrusion. She couldn’t contain her amused smile, he reminded her of a spooked rabbit.

“My apologies I did not mean to startle you. I was just impressed by your artwork” Selaria apologized amusement clear in her voice.

The human remained silent, she could tell he wanted to ask who she was but his mind seems more preoccupied with her outfit. His rose red cheeks made it painfully obvious he found her attractive even if his eyes hadn’t been glued to her rear, part of her wanted to keep teasing him, to play with him a bit more and watch his embarrassed reactions. Unfortunately she didn’t have time as she could imagine someone was bound to walk in on them.

“You know it isn’t polite to stare at a woman like that.” Selaria covered her sensitive parts with her hands, she clearly didn’t mean it for all she cared he could stare all he wanted.

“Oh um sorry I-I didn’t mean to you know uh stare.” Callum’s stuttered an apology as he diverted his gaze from her, something that made him even more endearing to Selaria.

Selaria couldn’t help but giggle at Callum’s blunder, he was nothing like all those stories she heard about humans. Her people really had a tendency to exaggerate things didn’t they.

“Are you um you know one of those…. Star elves?” Callum seemed to have recovered some of his confidence as he was now throwing glances filled with curiosity. It seems his curiosity about elves wasn’t made up, this was something she could use, after all she was the rarest kind of elf.

“Yes I am a star touched elf. My name is Selaria, pleasure to meet you.” She bowed slightly forward causing her chest to once more be nice and visible to Callum. Surprisingly it didn’t have the reaction she expected, rather than blush or panic he had a look of wonder, it seems the fact that she is a star touched elf took priority over her body.

“Is it true that you can live for 1000 years? If so how old are you?” Curiosity burned in Callum’s eyes, she didn’t want to admit it but his reaction offended her to a degree as she took great pride in her body, to have it passed over so blatantly hurt her pride.

Of course she won’t let him know that.

“My my what a naughty boy you are, asking a woman her age. Luckily for you I will answer, I am 301 years old.” The human was making it impossible to not tease him, she wanted to make him blush like a tomato again, primal it’s unfair to be so cute.

“Wow you really don’t look like it, you barely look past 40 years.” It was clear Callum’s comment wasn’t meant to be an attempt to flirt but Selaria couldn’t resist.

“My you are a bold one, flirting so blatantly. Are all humans so driven by their instincts?” At her words Callum once more lost his confidence.

“Wait what no no that wasn’t meant to be flirting I-I was just-surprised that your age and physical appearance were so-different.” Selaria faked a judgmental look aimed at Callum, she really couldn’t get enough of his reactions.

“Hmmm, very well I will let it slide this time.” As much as she wanted to continue teasing him she couldn’t stall for too long. Before she could continue her speech, however, Callum seized the initiative.

“I’m sorry if this is a more “personal” question but what does star magic actually do. It’s the only one I have no idea of what it can do and with you being a star elf do you think you could-tell me?” She could hear restraint in his voice, he was clearly more excited than he let on but she decided indulging his curiosity would make him see her in a favorable light.

“I will indulge your curiosity just this once. Star magic isn’t as “physical” as other sources, it allows you to have visions of future events and with enough practice can see a person through their souls during their dreams.” Callum’s face went blank at her explanation, that wasn’t what she expected.

“Wait soul do you mean like some kind of dark place with a bubble in the middle?” Callum’s voice had a sense of urgency to it, something she hadn’t planned for. If Callum needed something and she could provide then getting on closer terms is going to be easier than she thought.

“Yes that is it. How do you know about it?” Normally humans couldn’t access it, at least not consciously or retain concrete memories of the event, yet here Callum was describing it in clear detail. He was full of surprises wasn’t he, this just made Selaria want him even more.

“Well ever since I got kidnapped I’ve been sent there from time to time when I slept but that’s not important. I know a “copy” of a person you are close with can show up in that place, do you know of a way to talk to the actual person? Like I don’t know bring her into my soul?”

So it was a girl considering he used her and not their soul. It seemed that he had something he wanted to say to her, something important but his circumstances left him unable to do so. That meant that the girl in question had to be human or else why would he be unable to talk to her, perhaps she was his crush before his kidnapping, either way Callum was clearly desperate to talk to her.

“Yes that is possible, however, it is not a service I do for free.” The bait had been set, now she needed to see if he would take it.

“Please I’ll do anything, I-I don’t really have anything of value with me but please I need to talk to her.” Callum took it without hesitation not even checking the conditions or what the price would be, he must truly be desperate. She could easily demand he become hers, but she knew that would only lead to him resenting her if she forced it on him. She had a better idea, demanding something that seems innocent but holds a little surprise for him.

“You should be careful Callum when making deals like this, you shouldn’t underestimate your own worth either. I will only ask one little thing of you in return.” She fell silent just to make Callum that much more desperate for her aid.

“What is it?” the desperation in his voice tugged at Selaria’s heart, she enjoyed seeing him embarrassed but seeing him so desperate and on the verge of panicking made her want to stop and comfort him.

“I would like for you to draw… me.” She had laid down her price, if she was honest it was a ridiculously cheap price for what he was asking.

“That’s it? Nothing more?” Callum was clearly confused, he was most likely expecting something huge but to have such a cheap price laid before him seems to have thrown him off balance.

“Nothing more. So do we have a deal?” Selaria stretched out her hand for him to shake and finalize the deal.

“Shouldn’t it be written down on paper, what’s stopping you or me from going back on our word?” It seems Callum still had his suspicions, suspicions she would quickly put to rest.

“Because you seem like a nice boy that will keep his promises, as for me I will give you what you want first as a show of good will. You will just have to arrange a meeting with your “guardian” whether I come here or you come to my home is entirely up to you. Don’t keep me waiting for too long.” Selaria booped his nose before walking away, she was satisfied with today. What had started as a waste of time turned into a significant jump forward in her plans, now all she had to do was wait for her plans to bear fruit she doubted that even the stoic Zeranya will be able to deny his request, at least not for long.

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Callum had spent the entire day thinking of Selaria’s offer, it was too good to be true but it was the only option he had to speak directly to Claudia, a shadowhawk message would most likely be received with serious doubt. He wanted to say he forgave her directly. He had tried to find the right time to bring it up with Zeranya or the girls but they were either not around like Rayla or it wasn’t the right time like when Zaiti and Triz were snuggling up to him while he continued his sketches.

However, the ideal time to bring it up was fast approaching. It was almost dinner time, Callum could tell from the scent of food emanating through parts of the mansion, the aroma inflamed his hunger like never before, eating meager rations rather than good proper food will do that to you even if Zaiti’s cooking with the ingredients at hand tasted really good.

He had assumed a servant would come to get him like they did in the castle once the dinner was ready, as a result he had spent most of his time drawing on the bed in his room all the various elves he had seen. His sketch book was almost full due to having nothing else to do, page after page, drawings of elves from Zeranya to Rayla every one of them had a page dedicated to them. He was in the middle of drawing Selaria when there was a knock on his door.

“What is it?” Callum called out.

“Sir Callum I have come to inform you that dinner is served and that lady Zeranya requests your presence.” The servant spoke through the door before Callum could hear him leave.

Getting off the bed, Callum walked out the door and headed towards the room he had been told was the dining room. Gripped tightly in his hand was his beloved sketch book, Zaiti had asked to see the sketch of her mother as he had not finished it last she looked.

It still took a good minute or two for Callum to find his way around the mansion the intoxicating aroma of food helped him home in on his target, finally he reached the dining room. It was a dead end, with only a large double door leading in or out.

It had a huge pure white marble table that could easily accommodate 10-12 people, Zeranya was seated at the very end, a place reserved for the most important person just like human customs, Zaiti and Triz were seated to her left with an empty seat between them while Lain and Taili were seated opposite of them. It seems Tiadrin and Rayla were not back yet.

“Callum glad you could join us, please have a seat.” Zeranya pointed at the empty seat between the girls, of course that’s where he was forced to sit. Taking his seat he couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable from the looks the two next to him were throwing his way, it was embarrassing enough when it is just them but having an audience made it unbearable.

“I hope your room is to your taste, I know as a prince of Katolis you must be used to quite the living standard.” Zeranya inquired

“Yes the room is great, thank you very much for providing it.” Callum gave her a light bow to show his gratitude.

“My, what good manners, I suppose it is to be expected from royalty regardless of their origin.” A warm smile across her face as she spoke, clearly Callum was making a good impression on her.

Incoherent shouting could be heard in the distance and as it got closer Callum could make out Rayla’s and Tiadrin’s voice.

“Well maybe if you didn’t chase me across town then I wouldn’t smell like a pig in summer.” Rayla cried out

“If you had just worn them as I had told you I wouldn’t have had to drag you across town.” Seemed Tiadrin and Rayla were having an argument, he could hear their footsteps getting closer. Lain seemed to be embarrassed and worried as he heard his wife and daughter arguing.

When they finally entered the dining room a light smell of sweat spread across the room, clearly these 2 had been doing some heavy exercise.

“Rayla and Tiadrin nice of you to finally join us, we were about to start without you. Please have a seat” Zeranya announced.

The duo wordlessly took their seats with Rayla next to Triz while Tiadrin took her place next to Lain. The servants began bringing today’s dinner since all the guests were finally present, it was nothing extravagant or out of the ordinary like Callum had expected.

A well-cooked piece of meat was the center piece of his meal, accompanying it was a series of vegetables he did not recognize they reminded him of broccoli in shape and some kind of sauce. For drinks it seemed his only option was some kind of fruit juice based on the smell, he had smelled wine before and this wasn’t it.

Digging in Callum was assaulted by flavor with each bite he took and that was just from the meat alone, cutting another piece and dipping it in the sauce Callum was drooling with anticipation. When he began chewing Callum was in heaven, the flavors were so powerful without competing with each other or coming in too strong. The vegetables were just as good as the meat, Callum had never eaten anything like it. The juice was incredibly sweet without being overbearing.

He must have looked silly stuffing himself with his food like that as the girls were giggling at his behavior while the parents sported an amused smile. His brief distraction by those around him was all that was needed for his last vegetable to be stolen. Turning right to face the culprit he was greeted by the sight of Triz holding the piece in between her teeth, reaching to grab it with his hand Triz slapped it away. A small lean forward made her intentions clear, she wanted him take it with his teeth.

Taili was positively giddy at her daughter’s actions while the rest of the group seemed either jealous or annoyed but no one made a move to intervene. Leaning in closer Callum was inches from the vegetable, just a few more and he would have it. Triz had excitement burning in her eyes she clearly wasn’t expecting for Callum to go along this easily, behind her Rayla looked like she was about to stab her. Slowly opening his mouth Callum inched closer, Triz was breathing so hard he could easily hear her breathing and even feel her exhaling, she wanted this badly, it felt like her eyes could burn right through him.

Taking advantage of her distraction Callum grabbed a vegetable from her plate before shoving it in his mouth and retreating, a smug grin adorned his face as he chewed. Triz for her part was in complete shock, the object of her desires had just slipped right under her nose, she didn’t even seem to have fully understood what had happened until she looked at her own plate to notice the missing vegetable.

“You’re so mean Callum.” Triz sulked as her little trick had been used against her, chewing the stolen vegetable. The rest of the group seemed amused by the turn of events with a slight pang of relief in their eyes.

“You better watch Callum, she might not press the issue this time but it’s not a good idea to wind up a lady and leave her high and dry like that. Especially not a sky wing lady, after all the thunderbolt has to come down at one point.” Taili teased.

“Well it’s not a good idea to steal someone else dinner” Callum retorted in a joking manner.

The atmosphere was truly jovial, it was just like home, which made it hurt all the more. Remembering that Zaiti had asked to see his sketch of her mother Callum opened the corresponding page before handing it to Zaiti.

Intrigued by the book Zeranya leaned in to take a look at the picture, amazement crept over her face as she admired the piece of art.

“It is you mother, Callum tends to draw every elf he meets.” Callum couldn’t help but blush at the statement, he didn’t draw every single elf just the ones he found interesting.

“Well I must admit I am impressed, it feels like I am looking in a mirror. Looks like we will have an artist in the family.” Callum couldn’t help but blush at such compliments, unfortunately he failed ot react when Zeranya turned the page.

Her smile transformed into a scowl almost instantly.

“Callum who is this?” Zaiti inquired as she stared at the drawing.

“That’s Selaria she’s a Star touched elf I met today, she’s a bit weird but really nice. She even agreed to help me with talking to Claudia, although we haven’t decided on the date.” Callum innocently replied, Zeranya was rubbing her forehead due to the headache this was causing her.

“I should have had her escorted out.” Mumbled Zeranya

“Mother who is she?” Zaiti had a look of worry on her face, if her mother didn’t like someone to react in such a way then that person was trouble.

“She is a rich Star touched elf that has been looking for a human with a connection to the stars, it seems she found what she was looking for in Callum.” The girls grew visibly upset at the idea of having yet another potential rival enter the scene.

“Wait a minute who’s Claudia, that’s a girl’s name, who else you hiding from us Callum.” Tiadrin butted into the discussion.

“Claudia’s my childhood friend…”

“And the daughter of the most powerful dark mage in the world, Callum’s crush and the one that almost killed him.” Rayla intervened just like her mother.

“It was an accident!” Callum attempted to defend Claudia

“Still almost killed you.” Rayla added

“We are getting off topic and the human isn’t here. What did Selaria ask in return Callum, please tell me you didn’t agree to anything?” Zeranya was struggling to keep her composure.

“I-I did.” A thud echoed as Zeranya let her head fall onto the table.

“But all she asked for was for me to draw her.” Callum desperately was trying to salvage the situation.

“That’s it?” Triz spoke up for everyone.

Callum nodded in response, the girls looked at each other confused. A heavy sigh from Zeranya broke the silence.

“There’s nothing we can do now, you already agreed to it. The best we can is go with you and make sure she doesn’t try anything funny.”

Tiadrin and Lain were throwing disapproving looks at Callum.

“There is another matter I wanted to discuss, we have been invited to a ball by the Sirens meant to “celebrate” your safe return, all four of you and your immediate family are invited, it’s due tomorrow. Refusing isn’t an option, for your information Callum the Sirens are the strongest tide bound family in Xadia.”

“Primal fucking dammit, can’t we have a single day without some bitch trying to get her claws in Callum.” Rayla exploded at the news.

“As much as it annoys me as well there is nothing that can be done, I suggest you take a bath tonight to be ready for tomorrow, you two need it especially.” Zeranya pointed at Rayla and Tiadrin.

“I’ll let you girls go first.” Callum got up as he took his plate with the intent of bringing it to the kitchen.

“I would like to propose all four of us take a bath together, we need to make sure he washes up properly and that his little fiasco with the avalanche didn’t leave any lasting scars.” Callum froze as he heard Triz’s words, turning around he saw her evil grin burning with the same hunger he had left her in with his little trick.

“I wonderful suggestion dear, nothing helps people get more familiar than a good wash up.” Taili supported her daughter’s idea and from the looks of it so does the rest of the group with Rayla and Zaiti looking at him excitement in their eyes.

“Umm I’m not comfortable being… you know… naked. I think the girls aren’t as well” Callum attempted to protest but his attempt was shut down by Zeranya of all people.

“I simple blind fold and a towel will do the trick. Won’t it Zaiti.”

“It most certainly will mother.” When the two sanest members of the group agree to something like this it is definitely the time to cut your losses and run. Which Callum did, quickly dropping his plate on the table he sprinted through the door past a surprised servant. The trademark noise of a chair scraping across stone told him that the girls were already up and after him.

Peering behind him as he ran he only had time to see Rayla come running out of the room before sprinting towards him before he took a turn and she was out of sight, he didn’t doubt the other 2 would be far behind. Knowing he couldn’t outrun them Callum decided hiding was his best option, the halls split into three different directions, a set of pillar adorned the beginning of each path. Hiding behind the one to his right he held his breath, hearing the approaching footsteps of his pursuers, they suddenly stopped once they were close to his position.

“Spread out he couldn’t have gone far.” He recognized that voice, it was Rayla’s, who sprinted past his hiding spot before disappearing around another turn.

Callum released the breath he had been holding, he could hear his heart beating, could feel it pounding in his chest. The only safe spot he could think of was his room, lock himself in there until they gave up. Peeking around the corner Callum could see the coast was clear, cautiously exiting his hiding spot Callum began heading in the direction of his room. Before he could take another step someone grabbed his hand and yanked him to his left.

Colliding with something hard an arm wrapped itself around him keeping him pinned against the hard surface, he didn’t even need to look up to see who it was but Callum did it anyway. The excessively happy smile of Zaiti sent shivers down his spine, he could tell she had him right where she wanted him and had no intention of letting go.

“You know I used to do the same thing when I was younger and wanted to hide from the servants or my mother. Similar minds think alike don’t they?” They might have thought of the same hiding spot but that was where the similarities ended.

“Zaiti please let’s talk about this. Aren’t we skipping a few stages, like shouldn’t we first go on a date, get to know each other, maybe a romantic dinner, no?” The fact that her expression didn’t even flinch at his words did not bode well for Callum.

“The date can wait, getting to know each other is done and so is dinner, we even shared the same bed thrice this is the only logical next step.” Callum could only cower at her hungry gaze, nothing he could say would make her change her mind, she was like a starved predator finally being given meat.

“Girls I found him!” Zaiti called out to her partners in crime. Rayla was the first to reappear, sprinting around from the corner she used to search for Callum, Triz showed up shortly after coming from the corridor that went straight ahead.

Now Callum was really worried for his safety, it almost looked like they were drooling from their eyes as they eyed him like the most delicious looking Jelly tart in the world.

Still holding him prisoner in her iron cage Zaiti began walking forward with the other 2 following close behind, every step bringing him closer to the last place he wants to be right now.

“Come on girls be reasonable, let’s talk about this, Triz if this is payback for what I did I would like to apologize. The past is the past, like my mom says let bygones be bygones right? No? Anyone?” Callum helplessly kicked and thrashed against his restraint but failed to make her budge in the slightest.

Zaiti began humming a melody drowning out his grunting, to Callum it meant nothing but to Triz and Rayla it seemed to be familiar.

“Hey I know that tune, it’s that song nursemaids frequently use to calm down frightened kids. Can’t remember the words.” Triz exclaimed.

“Neither can I, it’s been so long since I heard it. Only thing I remember is that it says that there is nothing to worry about, that everything is going to be fine.” Rayla added in.

Callum knew Zaiti was picking that song for ironic purposes, for a good minute or two Callum continued to try breaking free but nothing worked, Zaiti continued marching while singing her little tune. In a last ditched attempt he looked at Zaiti with a pleading look doing his best to look as frail as possible hoping to incite some kind of mercy from Zaiti. She had always been the most sensitive about his well-being, if it didn’t work with her it wouldn’t work with the other 2.

He found only hunger in her eyes, all his escape methods cut off Callum could only look behind him as the door he knew led to the bathroom, every step closer made his heart beat faster and louder, every inch was an inch too much. Finally they were at the door, the other 2 swung it open before they walked through, after which they shut the doors sealing his fate.

The only thing he could do was beg that something would knock him unconscious, to let him skip this highly uncomfortable moment of his life, unfortunately the universe seemed to very much want him awake for this little event.


	17. Out of control

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After being kidnapped to the bathroom things heat up for Callum.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys I know I promised to introduce the remaining ladies in the next chapter but the bath scene got so long (3780 words by itself) that adding it to a believable ball room scene and stuff would make for a far too long chapter making it a lot less enjoyable to read (I try to keep chapters in the 3000-6000 word count to keep it manageable for the reader).  
> So instead I am dedicating this "half" chapter to the bath scene exclusively.  
> Hope you guys enjoy.  
> Ok i tried labelling this as chapter 16.5 but apparently you cant do that, so the site automatically labeled it as chapter 16 and the former chapt 16 was turned into the chapter 17. I have corrected this sorry for the confusion.

Callum was certain he was in hell, he must have died when Claudia hit him with her spell and he was in a tortuous afterlife for something he must have done during his life. Was it all the Jelly tarts he and his brother stole from the baker during their heists? Apart from that he couldn’t think of anything else that could be worth being stuck in this hell.

His vision was completely obscured by the blind fold covering his eyes, even with the towel wrapped around his waist covering his most intimate parts he felt utterly naked. He was currently seated on a small stool with the girls were busy rubbing his arms, legs and back, the one rubbing his legs was the one that worried him the most. Based on how it moved about, inching closer to his crotch before stopping rubbing a spot and retreating, he could guess it was Triz, the giggle he received when he pressed one arm down on the town in between his legs to make sure he remained covered only confirmed his suspicions.

The one rubbing his back was probably Zaiti, compared to the other 2 she exerted much more force each time she slid up and down his back. Yet it was never hard enough to cause him discomfort, quite the contrary each time she removed her hand it felt like a chunk of his stress flew off with it.

Being the only one left Rayla was the one currently rubbing his right arm, unlike the playful Triz or the strong Zaiti hers was simple, no surprises, just regular diligent strokes. Honestly she was the one making him the most at ease, he knew he shouldn’t worry about her trying anything funny. Even though Callum wanted to complain he knew they wouldn’t listen and he couldn’t deny that being taken care of like this was somewhat enjoyable.

“Well I’m not seeing any scars on my end.” Triz spoke

“Same here, nice smooth pink scar free skin.” Zaiti hand streaked across his skin directly rather than with a sponge eliciting a light gasp from Callum.

“Sensitive pink skin from what I see, you like this Callum?” Rayla slid her smooth hand across his arm, the feeling was completely different from the sponge. Callum couldn’t deny that the feeling of their skin directly rubbing against his was a thousand times better, the blind fold only enhancing the experience.

“I think he does” Triz confirmed in a sing song kind of voice. The sensation of three girls caressing his entire body was too much for it to handle, blood began rushing in between his legs causing his rod to rise.

“Ohohooo we have lift off, hey there big guy. Seems like everything’s working down here.” Triz’s words only furthered his embarrassment, here he was having an erection from being caressed by three girl’s right under their eyes. Out of reflex Callum closed his legs together with a bit more force than necessary, he must have been blushing like crazy as even having been warmed up by the water he felt like he was hotter than the air.

“It’s nothing to be embarrassed about Callum, it’s just a natural reaction.” He couldn’t see Zaiti stare but he most definitely felt it somehow, he could imagine Rayla was doing the same.

“Well we’ve kind of washed up every part of you except this little section. Want us to kill two birds with one stone?” It didn’t take a genius to guess what she meant by that. Normally Callum would have completely refused such an offer, but the stress from the past few days have been piling up even though he might not show it, the offer of some form of release sounded very promising. His rational mind and desires were tugging at the right to decide on the answer, neither gaining the upper hand.

“You in there Call…” A light slapping sound indicated someone had forcibly shut Triz up, clearly they were hoping for a positive answer, Callum was honestly tempted to say yes before the image of Claudia ad his mother reinvigorated his spirit. He wouldn’t let himself carried away in such a manner, it might one day come to this but not today, today he stands tall and stalwart, although it wasn’t the only part of him that stood stalwart.

“N-no thanks Triz I c-can take of that spot myself.” He sounded a lot less confident than what he wanted, probably because his desires were trying to get him to say something else.

“You sure? I mean I’m down on my knees here you sure you don’t want me to do something about it.” Triz was of course persistent, but Callum decided to resist her temptations, swaying his head from side to side he let Triz know how he felt about her proposition.

“Suit yourself, well now that we’ve done you mind doing us?” Callum tensed up at those words, what did she mean by “do them”?

Before he could even react he felt something messing with the back of the blindfold, causing it to fall off. What greeted him left him utterly speechless:

Almost pressed up in his face was Triz’s bountiful valley, straining against a towel that clearly was too small amplifying the effect. He was certain the folded wings underneath helped a lot. If he inched forward his face would be right in it, it seemed she was the one who undid his blindfold as it was gripped tightly in her left hand.

Behind her Rayla was in some kind of swimwear, he had never seen something of this sort before. It clung to her torso covering it completely while leaving her arms and legs bare. Its light green color made it easy to see her curves, the fact that it almost seemed to right up her crotch made her look even more erotic despite her being more covered than Triz.

He had hoped Zaiti would have been the reasonable one despite her current behavior, unfortunately she was the hardest to look at. Her large toned body was almost bare before his eyes, her well-developed musculature that was normally hidden under her clothes showed how hard she trained. Some would find this kind of physique less attractive but to Callum it only made him more excited, the two piece swim wear she wore barely covered her assets. Her breasts were covered by 2 small orange triangles held by 3 pieces of string, one between them, 1 that wrapped around her back and finally one that slithered up to her neck. Even with those three restraints it seemed like they were about to snap against the two chocolate colored orbs they were desperately trying to contain.

Her lower section wasn’t any better, a simple just above her posterior held a piece of cloth that went in between her legs, if she turned around Callum was certain the cloth would disappear between her cheeks. The bright orange only in contrast to her chocolate skin only helped to emphasize how little her clothing actually covered.

The girls were offering him no mercy today, each one had chosen an outfit that complimented them the most.

“Since we washed you how about you wash us in return?” Rayla and Zaiti were clearly on board with Triz’s suggestion based on the hungry smiles currently aimed at Callum. He had thought of refusing but it was true that they had taken the time to wash him, denying them the same service in return would be bad manners, right?

“F-fine, but no funny business, especially you Triz” Their faces practically lit up at his words, they really were looking forward to it. The bathroom they currently in was huge by any standards as he could imagine a good 8 or so people could bathe at the same time, its shiny bright walls were almost blinding. It possessed several large bathtubs, stools next to some kind of metal object protruding from the wall, based on the water dripping from it he could imagine that’s where the girls got the water from. However, neither of these 2 seemed like a good idea to use, after all he could only do 1 girl at a time and sitting on a stool the entire time isn’t going to be fun and there is no way he is letting them get into the bathtubs. Luckily he noticed several odd looking pieces of furniture, they looked like a mix of a bed and a table, it seemed like you were meant to lie down on it based on its shape and the odd hollow circle at the end clearly the size of an average head.

“Can we use those?” He preferred asking Zaiti before using something in her house, if he wasn’t allowed to use them and he did… well let’s just say he dreads the idea of an angry Zeranya.

“Oh those or massage tables, they are usually reserved for massages but I guess it can work. Although now that I think about it if you only do one of us at a time it’s going to take forever.”

“Then I propose rock paper scissors, whoever wins gets some solo time last with Callum, the other 2 are done at the same time.” Of course Triz was the one to come up with these crazy ideas, but the girls didn’t seem to object to this method, although the intensity of their eyes told him they each very much wanted to win. Whoever won though Callum knew it was going to be quite the ride of him.

“Rock, paper, scissors!!!” The moment of truth came, both Triz and Rayla had paper, Zaiti had chosen scissors.

A long whine emanated from Triz as she realized she lost while Rayla showed her displeasure in a more subdued way, namely putting on the most convincing puppy eyes he had ever seen. Unfortunately he couldn’t make an exception for her or else he would have to do the same for Triz, making the whole rock paper scissors ordeal pointless, something he was certain Zaiti would not stand for.

Picking up the sponges and the buckets currently holding the soapy water the group made their way to the massage tables, Callum pulled two of them to his sides while Zaiti moved one a short distance in front of Callum. She laid on top if it her head supported by her hands as she rested her elbows on the table, meanwhile the other 2 laid down on their stomachs on to their own tables throwing jealous looks at Zaiti.

Focusing his attention on his 2 current “customers” Callum set about washing them, Rayla’s outfit had an opening behind it leaving her back exposed to the air meanwhile Triz had found herself a second towel and placed them so that her breasts and posterior were covered although he was certain that if she had her way she would have been nude. Her wings also didn’t make things easy as she was forced to keep them folded slightly over herself so he can wash her back.

Slowly he began rubbing up and down their backs, it was initially difficult to handle both tasks at once but steadily Callum found a rhythm. The small moans of the girls did not help calm his mind only further filling it with lewd thoughts, he took comfort in the fact that Rayla seemed almost as nervous as him as he could feel her tense up as he got closer to more “sensitive” parts. It seemed that her outfit was simply to look good but also because that was how she was willing to go right now, Triz on the other hand was the complete opposite.

She eagerly cooperated allowing Callum to explore any nook and cranny even if that was not what he was after, several times he caught her trying to guide his hand down her rear or chest. Each one was met with a light slap yet it only repelled her assaults for a short time before she tried once more, actually it seemed him resisting seemed to excite her more than anything. Callum was incredibly tempted to make a quick grab for the places she wanted him to touch, just to catch her off guard but then he remembered how doing something like that had gotten him in this mess in the first place.

Callum slowly washed each part of their bodies, from the arms to the legs, to the neck. Nothing was left unattended.

“Can you girls turn over?”

“Should I keep the towel?” A simple scowl from Callum was her answer, causing her to pout in response.

Having turned herself over Callum could see how hard Rayla was blushing, he could tell that despite her embarassement at being seen like this she wanted to keep going, if she had an objection Callum knew she wasn’t the kind to keep quiet about it. Once more the routine began, caressing their stomachs, legs, arms, neck, the girls gave Callum almost free reign of how do go about it which felt unusual compared to the fact that he was essentially on the back foot since his kidnapping. The whole thing lasted a good 10-15 minutes but to Callum it felt like time had stood still, so focused on repaying the girls that he failed to notice time fly by.

“Well I think that’s it” Callum proudly announced.

“I think you missed as spot” Callum chuckled at the sight of Triz squishing her breasts together, she never knows when to give up does she.

“No Triz I’m not touching your chest.”

“Oh pooh of course when you got a chest like Zaiti’s to play with you want to quickly finish up don’t you.”

“I am not going to play with anyone’s chest Triz!!” Callum denied it vehemently.

“Come on Triz let’s leave them be, but seriously Callum if I so much as catch a wiff of you doing anything more than cleaning I promise you tonight you won’t be getting any sleep.” Callum didn’t need any more clarification about what she meant, he could only meekly nod hoping nothing would come of it.

Once the girls left to get changed Callum was left with Zaiti who had patiently been waiting her turn, Callum had no illusion that she had waited not because she was patient as her eyes burned with anticipation but because she wanted to savor the moment. Her playful look reminded him of how cats sometimes toyed with their prey, that was how he felt right now. He was all hers and there was no way to escape from this situation something she clearly knew, beckoning him towards her with her finger Callum cautiously approached her.

As she laid down to receive her prize Callum took in the sight of her body, he knew she was physically strong but seeing her musculature first hand really hammered home how powerful she was. Despite have muscles her body didn’t lack in feminine charm where it mattered, her legs were If she wanted to she could easily have forced herself on him long ago and there would have been nothing he could have done, yet he knew she wasn’t that kind of person, she does want him but she wants him to come to her of his own free will.

Just like the other two he began rubbing her back with the sponge, slow steady motions, up and down her powerful back. For the first few strokes everything was fine, but bit by bit Callum noticed Zaiti looking back towards him.

“Can you press a bit harder I’m not feeling anything.” It wasn’t surprising, she was much larger and well-built compared to the other two, increasing the pressure Callum renewed his rhythm.

“Sorry still nothing Callum.” Egged on by adrenaline and the sight before him Callum placed a towel on her back before climbing onto the table and setting himself on said towel and using his entire body weight began his assault.

Moans from Zaiti told him he was getting through her natural armor, lost in the motion Callum scrubbed every single part of her with all the strength he could muster.

“Mmmmmmh that’s the stuff” It seemed like he wasn’t the only one getting into it, although for a brief moment he saw Rayla quickly pop her head back into view no doubt the moaning convinced her something else was going on. Once her curiosity satisfied Rayla reluctantly retreated out of view but not before throwing one last look of envy at the pair.

Focusing his attention once more on Zaiti Callum continued vigorously washing her upper body trying to ignore her moans and the fact that he was sitting on top of her practically naked form. The hardest part came once he had thoroughly washed her upper half leaving her panting and moaning for more, he now had to wash her legs which gave him an ample view of probably her second softest body, her ample rear. Rotating on himself he was now facing her bottom part, just as he suspected the swim wear was practically nonexistent covered up by her rear. Steeling his resolve Callum set about his task washing her legs with as much vigor as her back and arms, something she audibly enjoyed.

He must have washed her for a good five minutes before deciding she was clean enough, although if he had to admit he secretly wouldn’t have minded doing this a bit longer.

Lifting himself off of her he admired his handy work, her body was practically glistening from the moisture amplifying every muscle in her body.

“Turn around” Callum hadn’t meant to make sound like an order but his heavy breathing combined with the blood rushing to his head caused it sound very much like a command.

Luckily Zaiti seemed to be as drunk on adrenaline as Callum as she complied far too eagerly almost knocking Callum off in her haste. Callum quickly finished up her legs before turning around once more, what he saw scared and excited him, before him lay Zaiti in all her buxom glory her eyes blazing with desire, Triz might have been a playful but Zaiti was a raging inferno. Her rapid breathing heaved her chest up and down causing her mounds to wobble ever so slightly, Callum brought down the wet sponge onto her abs no matter how much weigh he put into it they remained solid against his assault. This only encouraged Callum to press down harder it was almost like a challenge, can he make this solid wall of feminine muscle give in, well he certainly was eager to.

Callum despite all the desire burning in his head and loins managed to force himself to avoid touching her breasts afraid she might take it as a sign to take things further, that didn’t help.

As he moved up to her neck Zaiti grabbed hold of his head yanking him towards her, finding himself lying down on top of her Callum attempt to get off but Zaiti countered by wrapping her legs around his waist. There was no escape for him, nothing he had short of a Fulminis spell would dissuade Zaiti from continuing, her out of control desires urging her further.

“Zaiti, down girl you promised the others y..” Whatever protest he had didn’t matter to her, like the blazing sun she was out of control, forcing his lips against hers as her tongue hungrily tried forcing entry. The sensation was amazing, her warmth seeped into him threatening to drag him down into her frenzy, try as he might he couldn’t break her iron grip every second making it harder to resist the temptation. His instincts screamed at him to stop resisting, she wanted him and he wanted her why deny what came naturally, it felt amazing just with a kiss and bodily contact, imagine what it would feel like if he went all the way. His rational mind was being battered down by the intense heat and the betrayal of his own body who was now eagerly reciprocating her kisses. His hands glided down her stomach caressing her toned abdomen, the motion made her shiver excitement and sent her further into her frenzy.

Luckily before things went any further salvation came in the form of Rayla and Triz charging in, using a lesser version of the Fulminis spell Triz forced Zaiti to release her grip while Rayla yanked Callum away. Angered by the interruption and still consumed by the inferno that was her passion Zaiti eyed the interlopers with hostility.

“Should have known her primal source would have gone out of control, Callum it’s you she’s after get out of here and go hide in your room. Don’t open it unless I say so.” Rayla ordered, Callum now free from Zaiti's hypnotic touch took a few seconds to recover his thoughts before fully processing what Rayla had said, not needing any further encouragement, Callum ran out of the bathroom grabbing his clothes and running with all his might which to be honest wasn’t much, luckily he encountered no one in mad dash to his room.

He didn’t know how long he ran but he had never been so happy to see a door in his life. Quickly entering and slamming the door shut before locking it Callum finally breathed a sigh of relief, he almost felt like his heart was about to burst out of his chest.

Quickly jumping into the comfort of his bed Callum waited, and waited, and waited. It must have been only a dozen minutes or so but the stress of not knowing how the confrontation with the out of control Zaiti ended made time move to a crawl. Finally noticing his lack of decent clothing Callum only had time to put on a pair of shorts before Rayla's voice came through the door.

“Callum it’s me, open up.” At the sound of Rayla’s voice Callum rushed to the door his lack of proper clothing be damned, swinging it open he soon wished he hadn’t.

Quickly forcing their way inside the three girls still in their swimwear locked the door behind them. Their eyes were similar to Zaiti’s from before but, less intense.

“Soooo, Callum, the only way we found to calm Zaiti down was to… share the heat, if you will. It worked really well, too well, let’s just say we got some excess heat we would like to share with you.”

Callum’s heart sank, rather than one big problem he now had three smaller problems. Retreating slowly backwards Callum soon found himself against his bed.

"Any...any way we can talk this out like rational people?"

"No Callum, there's no stopping this, you are only delaying the inevitable." Triz almost sounded like some kind of doomsday prophet for a moment, although her prophecy would be that she would be all over him in a few minutes.

"What about exercise? Mom always said if you feel hot and energetic then the best way to get rid of it is some good old exercise." He was desperate at this point, the intensity of their desires might be lower than before but he had no idea how far they planned to go.

"Wonderful idea Callum, I propose one exercise I really like. Hug. Callum. Tightly." Those words from Rayla send shivers down his spine.

The three predators before him crept closer certain of their preys inability to escape. Desperate to create some distance between them Callum crawled onto the bed, he realized only too late that he had utterly screwed himself, it seems his sudden movement caused a hunting instinct in the girls who promptly leapt onto him pinning him down.

The girls pressed themselves against him seeking to make as much skin to skin contact as they could, rubbing their cheeks against his bare skin and practically grinding themselves against him Callum knew at this point that he would not be getting out fo this. The heat once more began seeping into his body, his desires inflamed but not enough that he lost control Callum gave in. if they wanted to cuddle then cuddle he shall, wrapping his around Triz to his left and Zaiti to his right (or as much as he could) Callum slowly carressed their bare skin. They were practically purring at his participation shuffling closer in an attempt to touch a larger area. Unfortunately for them Rayla occupied that space, clinging directly to his body Rayla was free to rub against Callum as much as she wanted. With both of his hand occupied Callum did the only thing he could think of, pressing his chin against the back of her neck Callum invited Rayla for a makeshift hug, something she accepted without a second thought. Slowly lulled by the combination of warmth, the purring of the girls and the rhythmic caresses they brought on each other Callum was finally allowed the peace of sleep.


	18. Celebrations and reunions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group attends the ball, but some people do not belong there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is hope you guys enjoy it.  
> It introduces the 2 remaining ladies (at least for the moment). Hope you guys enjoy them I tried basing them off as much as I could on their elements and how it behaved in the real world to create their personality.
> 
> I do have news for you guys, i'll start working again from the 21 of may onwards and as a result I will release at a much slower pace than right now. I won't give up on this story and I will try to get one more chapter out before then but expect things to get slower.
> 
> Again feedback, criticism and comments are always welcome.
> 
> Without further ado enjoy.

Callum had to admit, despite what lead up to it he had slept quite well. Even now he could still feel the left over warmth from the semi dog pile he had been subjected to last night, the soft sensation of the girls against his skin haunted his mind.

“Hey you still with us Callum?” Rayla’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts, they had taken a carriage sent by the Sirens to come pick them up directly. Their parents would be following close behind on their own mounts. It seemed these Sirens really didn’t want to give them any potential excuse to “miss” this ball, he had to admit their persistence did scare him as the memories of the out of control Zaiti were still fresh in his mind.

Callum had been given a bright sunfire outfit for the occasion, they would have given something more “human” if they had the luxury of time. It was a bright red shirt with gold colored shoulder pads, a pair of gray pants clung tightly to his legs while a pair of brown boots adorned his feet. According to the girls it gave him a “cute look mixed with regality”, the girls had gotten to pick a dress fitting their respective culture unlike Callum.

Zaiti had gotten a golden rococo style dress that covered her entire torso while her legs were hidden completely by the fabric as it slithered downwards, her arms were bare and a necklace with the symbol of the sun adorned her neck. She was the spitting image of a proud noble lady, completely the opposite of the ravenous beast she had shown herself as last night.

Triz had chosen something that represented her personality the best, a sky blue dress clung to her torso stretching against her breasts while the bottom part could only be described as a skirt not even covering half of her legs and fluttering at the slightest breeze. “Free spirited” as she said.

Rayla’s outfit was hardly different than her usual one, it was once more a full bodysuit leaving only her hands bare. It was of a bright emerald green like Callum’s eyes, it looked more like a military outfit than something fit for a ball. When Callum questioned her about her choice she simply stated that going to balls and other “noble” events was not something she had done before and despite her mother’s insistence Rayla didn’t feel comfortable wearing something like that. He understood where she was coming from, the first few times he had been asked to participate in some kind of formal event he had been a nervous wreck, his constricting outfit hadn’t helped in the slightest.

As the carriage made its way through the city Callum couldn’t help but notice how clingy the girls had been since last night, there was more than enough room for all of them yet Zaiti made him sit on her lap while Triz and Rayla flanked his sides. He was like a grape being squished between fingers, honestly it didn’t even bother him all that much anymore, he must be getting used to the attention these girls give him. Although it did worry him a bit how easily he was accepting this, especially considering the girls have made it abundantly clear they intent to take things further eventually.

“So… any particular tide bound tradition I should know about? Anything I should avoid doing or saying?” It was a meager attempt at starting a conversation but it was the only one Callum could think of.

“Hmmm not anything I can think of, well maybe don’t make any fish or wet jokes. Some don’t mind others do.” Rayla’s seemed to be the only one interested in holding a conversation, the other 2 seemed content to snuggle as much as possible while they could.

“What about dancing? It’s a ball after all and I’m not exactly the best dancer.”

“Bah the only thing they will be interested is your ass Callum, everyone knows about you and they want a piece of the booty.” The fact that neither of the other 2 denied or reprimanded what Triz had just said probably meant that it was true, at least to a degree. A childish part of him was pleased to hear that, the idea of being so popular with the girls might sound like a guy’s greatest fantasy but Ethari’s words echoed in his head. He had been lucky that these three were patient and understanding with him, just like humans there were good and bad elves and being this desirable made him a target for both.

“Don’t worry Callum we’ll save you if need be, wouldn’t want our dumb human getting swarmed by over eager elves.” Those words were most likely meant as a joke but they helped reassure Callum, knowing that these three were watching his back he felt like nothing could hurt him.

The carriage grinding to a halt signified they had arrived, a servant opened the door allowing Callum to take in the sight of the Sirens abode. As expected of a wealthy family their estate was a large building, but unlike others it seemed to be more uneven and round. It took a few seconds for Callum to realize what he was looking at, so used to nice well cut out structures that he never fathomed the idea of something like this existing. Another thing he noticed was that whether it be as small ponds or fountains or somehow flowing through the architecture itself even flowing upwards somehow through various holes, water was ever present. Even stranger still was the material that seemed to make up the building, based on its looks it seemed to somehow be made of coral of all things, probably explaining the need for water to flow freely through them.

“Please follow me.” A tide bound servant greeted them before leading them down a small pavement that led to a wide door. Following the elf, the doors swung open at their approach Callum had to contain himself from gushing over the bizarre magical architecture.

“Please continue onwards, the ball room is straight ahead.” The tide bound elf bowed at the door remaining at the front door, no doubt to greet any guest that might come after them.

The inside of the building was even odder than the outside, the whole corridor was of a dark purple color water flowing through it almost like blood through veins. As fascinating as he found it Callum had to admit it creeped him out a bit, rather than being inside a building he felt more like he was inside a living creature. Walking for a minute they came face to face with another door manned by 2 more tide bound servants who opened the door at their approach.

“Announcing the new arrivals: Zaiti Dawnguard, Triz swiftwing, Rayla of the Silvergrove and finally Callum prince of Katolis.” The sudden announcement from one of the servants startled Callum before he reminded himself that this was standard procedure in high standing events, it brought back memories of his first event like this with his mother, he had been so terrified of the sudden shouting that he clung desperately to his mother’s leg for the remainder of the event. Callum wondered how his mother was doing, knowing her she was probably still worried about him, about his safety, about whether he was eating and bathing properly. A light chuckle escaped his lips as he bathed in the nostalgia.

“Whats so funny?”

“I was just thinking of the first time I went to an event like this with my mom.” Triz probably thought he had remembered a good joke.

“Oh, how did it go?”

“I spent most of my time crying into my mom’s leg.”

“Awww, that I would have paid to see. Little wee Callum.”

Callum could only let another chuckle at Triz’s comment, sparing one last moment thinking of his mother he prayed that all the lessons she had taught him would help him though this event and that wherever she was she would watch over him.

\--------------------------------------

Sarai could barely contain her joy, there he was her baby boy as adorable as ever and wearing a very nice that really helped bring out his mature side. He looked just like the day she lost him clearly the elves had been taking proper care of him, that was a good thing on their part as if there was so much as a scratch on him heads would roll. She couldn’t believe her luck as it turns out the inn she worked at was well known for its “moonberry pies” she didn’t care what it was just that it was to be delivered directly to the ball she had heard so much about, the one that celebrated the return of three elves and the prince accompanying them. That delivery was an ideal way of getting inside without arousing suspicion, she had volunteered rather enthusiastically to make the delivery much to the confusion of her boss, luckily he relented in the end partially because the other person who had been up for the job suddenly decided to back down.

She had been allowed entry into the kitchens without even being checked, they must have either been lazy or confident that no one would try anything during the event. Once the delivery made she slipped away changing into a spare set of more “grandiose” clothes she had prepared beforehand Sarai infiltrated the party with no difficulty her experience with Harrow helping her fit in almost like a second nature.

The ball room was a massive light purple room illuminated with strange blue lights above them, the light was reflected across the surface making it look much brighter than it actually was. Water also somehow seemed to flow through the walls and floor something she found somewhat disturbing but still captivating. Various table adorned with food and drinks were present on the sides of the room, servants would take trays and offer it to the gossiping hens in the center of the ball room. There were several doors to either side of the room although those to the left were made partially of glass showing that they led to a garden.

So far luck had been on her side and no servant had come to inquire her about who she was, probably too afraid of accidentally offending an important guest, the other guests weren’t much better too busy gossiping to really care about who they were talking to. The main topic the guests had been talking about was her son, apparently he had become something of a celebrity among them due to the fact that not only could he use sky magic but according to the elves he had the potential to access all of the elements.

She would have cheered at her boy’s potential if she didn’t have a disguise to maintain, their talks of seducing him or getting in his “guardians” favors made her want to crack skulls, not only did these elves think they could get away with kidnapping her son but they also thought they were good enough for him? Not in a million years, none of them were good enough for him, mentally Sarai began pointing out any flaw she could think of, this sunfire elf had terrible personality, that tide bound girl smelled fishy, the earth blood elf looked punch worthy, anything that could be considered a flaw Sarai grabbed onto it. One thing she noticed was that almost all elves present were women and most seemed to be around Callum’s age or very close to it, it seemed they were dead serious about this whole seduction thing, that puzzled her greatly why would the elves go to such lengths to get Callum? Didn’t they have enough magic on their own, did they have to take what little magic humanity had managed to obtain?

When the announcer finally shouted out Callum’s name the entire crowd focused their attention to the new arrivals just like Sarai. What shocked her the most wasn’t the fact that he seemed unharmed and in rather good health but rather how he looked at the three elves accompanying him. She had seen that kind of look before, that was the kind of look her love struck son threw at Claudia when he admired her from a distance. Yet here he was throwing that same kind of look at the three elves accompanying him, she just couldn’t make sense of it, how could he have fallen for those that had kidnapped him? Maybe the y had him under a spell, or maybe Callum was playing along to gain their trust before escaping.

Sarai told herself those were questions for later, right now she needed to observe Callum. There was no way for her to get him alone with this horde of elves watching his every move, she had expected the cackling hens around her to rush Callum as soon as he appeared but it seemed that Callum’s semi bodyguards made them reluctant to approach.

Slowly but steadily they gained in courage and one by one they began approaching Callum, they were allowed to interact one by one with Callum the rest had to bide their time sucking up to the other three elves. If they wanted to talk to Callum it would only be under their watchful eyes, for his part Callum seemed to be putting into practice all that he had been taught back at the castle.

Bowing as a form of polite greeting, always staring directly into a person’s eyes to show you are focusing solely on them, he didn’t do any hand kissing which in her book was a good thing. The effect was very visible, the elven girls were positively cooing at him, probably didn’t expect a human to have manners like he did. Some were genuine in their surprise while others it was clearly just empty flattery, Sarai would have been proud of her son had all these girls not been elves, although she did find it surprising how well he was integrating into the group.

Callum’s luck was going to be tested soon, however, as Sarai noticed an earth blood elf unlike the others making her way towards them. This one seemed to have been blessed with one hell of a figure rivalling and possibly surpassing the one of the Sunfire elf accompanying Callum something she clearly knew as her outfit left the top part of her bust exposed for the masses. Green hair adorned her head although one could confuse it with a bush at first. Large horns that seemed to be made of wood grew from her head even a few flowers bloomed from them, she had brown skin of a lighter shade than a sunfire elf, her dress seemed to be made entirely out of leaves stitched together.. What was most striking was her behavior, unlike the other “proper” ladies around her she was almost skipping towards the group a wide disarming smile at the ready, she showed no hesitation in approaching Callum not even sparing a glance at his entourage.

She wondered how Callum would handle this particular individual.

\---------------------------------

Things had been going smoothly until now, the other guests had behaved despite their clear excitement, he knew some of them saw him as a means to an end while others were genuine in their interest, such was the game of politics, lots of butt kissing and having to figure out who is being honest and who isn’t. Some had flirted with him, some had even invited him on dates or straight up asked if there was room for them in his “little group” some had remained “platonic” shall we say while other were simply curious about him. The girls of course were more than capable of handling any guest that got a bit too friendly with him, although nothing could have prepared them for this next lady.

Just as he was politely declining a date from another moonshadow elf and earth blood elf came next, it took all of his focus to not sneak a glance at her assets, he didn’t know the exact measurements but if he had to guess she was slightly bigger in bust size than Zaiti but a bit shorter than her.

“Hey there cutie. Name’s Amalia.”

“Callum pleasure to meet you.”

“I’m surprised.” Callum was honestly confused as to what she meant, he had remained respectful, did a light bow, met her eyes just as he had done to the previous ladies. Her smile had even disappeared to be replaced with a look of disappointment.

“Here I thought you’d enjoy a good look at these girls.” The elf accentuated her points by pressing her breasts together, Callum could only stare in shock at the audacity of this girl.

“I mean I take pride in these, if you don’t like them what am I gonna use them for. Know what I mean? Sure it'll be useful for feeding a couple of hungry mouths but I think that comes after you've seen them.” Callum could only blush in response, what the hell do you say to that? Luckily Zaiti decided now was a good time to step in, putting herself between them the earth blood elf almost disappeared from his field of view.

“Don’t you think you are being a bit improper, especially at a ball?”

“Mmmmm, no not really. What is improper about showing off what nature gave you? If they aren’t to attract a strapping young lad then what are they for, decoration? I would have thought you would think the same considering you are just like me.”

“I am NOTHING like you.” Amalia’s words only angered Zaiti further.

“So you mean to tell me you aren’t a big girl, blessed with generous proportions that would make heads turn no matter where you go?” Zaiti was flabbergasted for several seconds, if she straight up denied what Amalia had said it would be easily seen as a lie while if she accepted what she said then she would be admitting she had jumped to conclusions. Her pride as a Dawnguard prevented her from accepting either outcome.

“I may be similar to you physically but I have the decency to not act like a pervert in front of an entire crowd and most certainly not at a ball.”

“Not confident enough in your figure, is that it? I don’t get what you people are complaining about, everyone here is trying to get Callum in bed I’m just going about it in a more straightforward way, do you not plan on letting him play with them once you do the deed?” The complete disregard for any decency made Zaiti blush tremendously, her mind couldn’t handle it, anger and embarrassment mixed into a volatile concoction, Callum could tell she was on the verge of exploding. Even the crowd around them had taken a step back not wanting to risk being caught

The roles now reversed Callum stepped in between the two women hoping to prevent things from escalating further.

“Hey hey Zaiti, look at me, let it go, let it go. Please?” For a tense few seconds Zaiti alternated between staring at Callum and glaring daggers at Amalia, every second he hoped she would come to her senses.

Finally she took a deep breathe, her eyes now remained focused on Callum, the anger that burned in them had weakened. It was still there but at least she wasn’t about to strangle Amalia.

“I-I need a drink.” Zaiti proceeded to walk towards one of the tables to pour herself a drink, at the sight Callum released the breath he had been holding for the past few moments.

“I think you’ve done enough, how about you go elsewhere for the moment.” Rayla proceeded to “escort” Amalia away from Callum, something the elf clearly did not want to do but even she caved under Rayla’s glare.

“Maybe we can meet up again, I would love to get to know you more.” With that said Amalia was guided to the other end of the room so as to avoid any round 2 between the two women.

“Come on back up ladies give him some room, he needs a break, come on shoo shoo. You’ll get your chance later.” Triz was currently shooing away the remain elves that wanted to talk to him now that the coast was clear, now that he actually could pay attention to how hard his heart was beating he admitted to himself that a break did seem nice right about now. However, the constant looks he received from the elves made it impossible to feel at ease, even when he didn’t see them the looks burned into his back like a constant itch.

“Sorry Triz I’m just uh getting some fresh air, I’m feeling a bit... stressed.”

“Ok but don’t take too long, I can’t hold these harpies back forever.”

“I won’t, I’ll be back before you know it.” It was ironic that she referred to them as harpies considering she was the one that had the closest physical resemblance out of all of them.

Callum quickly walked towards the doors that led to the garden not wanting to give anyone a chance to stop him for whatever reason. He didn’t even have to open the door himself as a servant made their way to the door before him and opened it with a smile, Callum bowed lightly to show his appreciation for the gesture yet there was something off.

Up until now the servants had always had a smile of professionalism and had clearly assigned stations, yet this one was clearly manning the tables and ensuring they were properly stocked, yet he had broken off to open the door. His smile had been another matter, it wasn’t their usual smile but the one of someone who was seeing something happening they want it to.

Passing through a blast of fresh air greeted Callum, inhaling the cool night air his mind quickly eased up, the light headache he was having ebbed away almost instantly. The noise of the party partially died down once the servant closed the door behind him, the noise of the night assaulted Callum’s ears, the chirping of insects, the gentle howl of the wind, the gentle singing voice.

“Singing voice?” Finally realizing one of the noises did not belong Callum focused on the strange tune he was hearing, the voice was clearly feminine in nature, it was sweet, gentle, hypnotic. Curiosity bubbled inside Callum, he wanted to know who was singing, why was she singing, why did it sound so “different” than regular singing?

Urged on by the melody Callum walked further into the garden. He must have searched for a good 10 minutes in this unknown garden, yet the song seemed to pull him in regardless, somehow he knew where to go despite the various hedges and plants blocking his view.

Finally the source was close, he could feel it, the song was louder than ever. Stepping past a hedge wall he finally found his source, it was a tide bound elf, one equal to Zaiti in height. While Zaiti’s body was toned in a more “overall” manner this elf muscles clearly were for the most part in her legs. Which made sense when Callum thought about it, if she swam using mostly her legs as a “tail” then it would obviously result in a powerful set of legs, he couldn’t imagine what kind of damage a kick from one of them could cause. Her bright blue skin glistened in the moonlight, bright red fins adorned the back of her head who was devoid of any hair, her bright white eyes looked like 2 moons.

She was wearing some kind of skin suit like Rayla but of blue color and adorned with drawings of what Callum could only describe as waves. The snapping of a twig alerted her to his presence, turning her head in his direction she stared at him with an almost bored looking expression.

“H-hi sorry to eavesdrop like this, I just heard your singing and I got curious. I’m really sorry.” It was best to apologize immediately rather than later, he didn’t know this elf and he didn’t know what she would do if he angered her.

The elf’s expression didn’t change, nor did she reply. Silently she approached him, walking at a leisurely pace, slowly she circled around him scanning him from head to toe, strangely reminding him of what he had heard about sharks. Callum decided it was probably best to let her do what she wanted and wait for her to reply, it had happened to him several times at home that he tried restarting a conversation with some noble only to be scolded for interrupting their train of thought.

“You cute.”

“Umm, thank you… I guess?” No sooner Callum had uttered those words that the elf brought herself closer to him, out of reflex he took a step back only for the elf to close the gap immediately leaving him pressed against a hedge.

Placing her hands against the hedge she boxed Callum in, her expression had finally changed, it was a smile filled with hunger. Bringing her head towards his Callum could immediately tell she was going for a kiss.

“Wait wait please wait!” The elf halted her progress but did not back away.

“You don’t like me?”

“No its not that I don’t like you…”

“Then no problem.” Once more the elf continued her approach causing Callum to panic.

“Wait shouldn’t we get to know each of before thinking of doing things like this?”

“Am Siphis, eldest daughter of the sirens 18 years old, no lover but looking for one. You Callum human mage 17 years old, cute, friendly, my type. Good now?” That was definitely not what Callum meant when he said get to know each other but clearly that was good enough for the elf who proceeded to lock lips with his, pressing her body against his, pinning him to the hedge.

Callum was so taken aback by how little time she was giving him to respond that he failed to put up a proper resistance. Hungrily she continued her assault, her lips mashing against his.

Callum needed to break free and fast, tapping her shoulders Callum hoped she would get the message and back off. The elf didn’t even budge, she continued ravaging his lips unhindered. Callum couldn’t break free through physical strength as the elf was stronger than he was, he needed magic but using the Fulminis spell was too dangerous striking one would affect the other as well, leaving only the Aspiro spell.

His chance came when the elf disconnected her lips from his to catch her breath, with adrenaline pumping in his blood Callum drew the Aspiro rune faster than he had ever done before blasting the elf away with a gust of wind.

Callum sprinted back from the direction he had come from hoping he would be able to find his way back before the elf caught up with him. Running as fast as he could Callum turned and weaved through the maze of plants and hedges.

As he turned around one corner he collided straight into a sunfire elf knocking him onto his butt while the elf stood tall. Before Callum could apologize this new elf grabbed hold of his head and cradled it in her chest.

“Oh Callum, my sweet little boy, its ok, your safe now.”

“I’m-Im sorry miss but I think you have me confused with someone else, if you couldn’t tell I’m human, not an elf.” Callum couldn’t believe how unlucky he had been today, at every corner there seemed to be an over amorous elf waiting for him and now this one seemed to believe she was his mother.

“I know you have a super-secret sketch book where you drew your wildest fantasies about Claudia. It’s hidden inside your mattress.”

“Mom?! Is that really you? How did you even get here, why do you like an elf?!” Only his mother knew about that dirty little secret of his, there was no way some random elf would know about it.

“No time to explain we have got to get out of here.”

Before Callum could even try to explain the situation to her the sounds of footsteps alerted him to the arrival of Siphis.

“Get behind me Callum.” His mother immediately put herself between Callum and the elf, a knife in hand that she retrieved from her belt.

“There he is!” Things just kept getting worse, the girls accompanied by a group of armed guards were rapidly approaching from behind no doubt alerted by his absence while the guards were probably because his mother had done something to draw attention to herself.

“She’s got a knife!” Zaiti shouted

“Callum get down!” Triz was already preparing a thunderbolt in her hand, the only obstacle being him standing in front of his mother.

“Everyone just stop!!!” Callum had never been so loud in his life but he supposed that having his mother at risk and his heart pumping so hard you tend to scream louder than normal.

The new arrivals halted their advance, possibly confused at Callum’s outburst.

“Please put the knife down, I promise they won’t hurt you. There is no chance of getting out of here through violence. Please-trust me.” His mother still had a look of pure determination, she really believed she could fight her way out.

Luckily for him each second she gazed into his eyes he could see that fire dying out, slowly but surely she gave up. All at once the tension in her body left her, slowly raising her hand high for everyone to see she proceeded to toss the knife away before letting her arm fall back down.

“Mind telling us who this is Callum?” Rayla seemed more than a bit peeved, no doubt she thought he was having a secret meeting with another elf only for things to have gone sour.

“Rayla, Zaiti, Triz I would like to meet… my mom.”

“YOUR WHAT?!”


	19. Explanations and introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sarai is captured and Callum has some explaining to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay my quarantine ended quite suddenly so now my time that I have to dedicate to this story is very limited. I will continue to work on this story but the release rate will be much slower. I am sorry guys but don't worry I am not going to give up on this story.
> 
> Hope you like this chapter and thank you for being patient with me.  
> Again comments and feedback are always welcome.

Scylla couldn’t believe her eyes, her eldest daughter Siphis had just tried to leave the estate of her own volition. When questioned why she attempted to do so all she said was “getting Callum”. Siphis had always been a somewhat special child, she did her duty as a Siren but never went beyond the bare minimum, not because she is incompetent far from it she is one of the best when she puts her mind to something but because it doesn’t interest her.

She had been worried about finding her a husband after all its her job as eldest to ensure she is fit to take over the family once Scylla steps down but also to ensure an heir. Due to Siphis’s unique behavior Scylla had tried her best to find her a partner as she feared that she would be unable to do so on her own, suitor after suitor she brought before her daughter, time after time she just stared blankly at them before just uttering a simple “no”. She had hoped to introduce her to the human Callum at the ball in the hopes that his “exotic” side might peak her interest, she even forced a meeting on her side with the parents of his guardians as a backup plan just in case, although that got nowhere.

When a servant informed her she had left the ball before the human was even there to confine herself in the gardens all her hopes were swallowed up in a sea of despair. After the incident with the human queen that had somehow infiltrated her estate her spirit had hit the sea bed, everything seemed to conspire to ruin her future.

Luckily for her a small ray of hope shone through the depth of her despair, as it turns out the human by pure chance went to the gardens and lured by her singing had come face to face with her daughter. Sure their first meeting wasn’t the best she could have hoped for based on what her daughter had told her but the fact that she seems quite taken with the human was nothing short of a miracle for her.

Even now she recalled how Siphis had tried grabbing onto the human whenever possible and when he tried to leave the estate Scylla had to intervene directly to get her to let go. Even when she complied her eyes did not leave Callum even for a second, her normal bored expression having been replaced with one of desire and worry. She probably was afraid that if she let him go now she would never see him again.

As a mother she couldn’t be happier, for her daughter to finally take an interest in a boy especially one she would welcome into the family with open arms. However, she worried that Siphis’s unique way of thinking and behaving would make it difficult or downright impossible for her to get closer to the human.

“Siphis honey I understand you like Callum but you need to go a bit easier on him. Barreling like you did into his life is just going to scare him away. How about this, you go to the sunguard estate and invite him sightseeing, make him an offer his can’t refuse.”

Her daughter seemed deep in thought at her words, she really hoped she didn’t interpret those words in a way that would cause a problem in the future.

“Thank you for the advice mother, with your permission I would like to go invite Callum.” Straight forward as ever, but could she really blame her daughter? Tide bound elves are naturally persistent when it comes to things they covet and her daughter is even worse than an average tide bound.

Part of her worried she would cause an incident but another part of her told her to let her go, to let go after the person she finally desired, that this could be her daughter’s only chance at love.

“Very well I will permit it but promise you will not cause a scene.” The slight nod from her daughter didn’t put her worries at ease, she wanted to go with her but the guests outraged that a human snuck into her halls needed to be placated, her daughter could handle herself after all those legs aren’t just for show.

She watched her daughter break into a sprint the second she gave her permission, it reminded her so much of her own love story, how she fell madly for a human who did not agree to go with her at the end of her week. She had attempted to sneak into his home and take him by force but for whatever reasons the guards seemed to be on alert making her attempt impossible.

She returned heart broken and ashamed even if her family did not hold it against her. For years she longed to go back, the bond she had placed between them tugging at her every day. Finally one fateful day she sensed that his signal was coming from the sea, carried by the possibility of another chance to get what she desired the most she leapt into the ocean swimming as fast as she could.

As it turns out her beloved was on a large human boat, for hours she stalked them hoping he would fall overboard. Her wish came true in the form of a storm knocking her target into the water, she quickly grabbed him and swam, the other humans didn’t even try looking overboard. When he realized he had been abandoned he stopped trying to get away, once she brought him home she slowly but steadily helped him out of his depression, bit by bit she closed the distance between them until there was none. She always loved telling her daughters how she met their father, some reacted with envy wanting the same kind of love story, others didn’t want the “icky grown up details”. Siphis had always seemed interested in the idea of loving someone to that extent but her lack of interest in the people themselves made it impossible.

Thinking back to those nights of passion with her husband caused her entire body to tingle, perhaps she should talk with her husband about having a fifth child after all there no such thing as too much of a good thing.

\-------------------------------------------------

“Care to run that by me again Callum?”

“Mom I already explained the whole story 4 times do I really have to explain it again?”

“Seems too much like a teenagers wet dream just checking this isn’t some kind of dream or that you are under a spell.”

Callum had been held in this very uncomfortable position for the past half an hour. After being brought back to the mansion his mother had been escorted to a cell under the guest house, a very nice one but a cell nonetheless. Luckily she didn’t cause any trouble as he didn’t want the guards to have a need to get rough with his mother. When he came down to explain the situation to her she took the opportunity to grab him through the bars, pressing his face against hers. He could guess it was meant to be a sort of hug and choke hold all in one, of course by the time he was repeating the same story for the third time the girls had come down to the cell and came upon the strange sight. When he asked them what they were doing here they simply answered they hoped to get to know their future mother in law.

Those words were not appreciated by Sarai as he felt her arm tighten a bit around his neck, her judgmental look also made it painfully obvious she did not support this.

“Fine long story short, dark mage curses elves, all elves born female, elves need human men to keep numbers up by turning them into elves. Yes they kidnapped me but they aren’t bad people just a bit desperate.”

“I already introduced them but this is Rayla.”

“Pleasure to meet you Miss Sarai”

“That’s Zaiti” Who only bowed in response

“And that’s Triz”

“Heya mother in law”

“In your dreams pigeon.”

“Ow why do I get the insults, why doesn’t Rayla get the insults for once?”

“That’s cus you aren’t formal enough.”

“Pfff I prefer being me and honest with everyone than acting “formal””

The usual childish squabble was met with a small smile from Zaiti and a light chuckle from Callum.

“Excuse me but do you think it would be possible to have some privacy with Callum, if you want to talk with me in private I’m willing to do it later.”

The girls clearly didn’t want to leave quite yet but the promise of being able to talk privately with Sarai seemed to convince them to comply. Once they were gone back up the stairs Sarai let go of Callum.

“They seem nice enough for a group of kidnapping elves”

“Yeah they are pretty great.”

“So which one you plan on marrying?” The question made Callum turn red in an instant.

“Well… They kind of decided… they were going to share.” This was one of the most awkward conversations Callum ever had with his mother.

“So let me get this straight, they want you to marry all three of them? I knew you were charming Callum but to that extent I have to admit I’m impressed, although you are going to have to do some explaining to Claudia.”

“I’m trying, there’s another elf that might have a way to help with that. We kind of worked out a deal.”

“Please tell me it’s not what I think it is.”

“No she didn’t ask for that, I’m pretty sure she’s aiming for the same thing as those three but she just asked me to draw her.” Callum opened up his sketch book to Selaria’s page.

“Well isn’t she a beautiful lady.”

“Yeah she is beau…” Callum slapped his hand onto his mouth a little too late as he realized what he was saying.

“Callum Callum Callum, I knew like every teenage boy you would have some dirty thoughts running through your head but you exceed my wildest expectations. You already had Claudia, then you have those three and now you tell me there’s another one I don’t know about and don’t even get me started on those 2 from the ball I saw how you were looking at them, it’s the same look you gave Claudia the first few times you met, you’re definitely interested in getting to know them. You better not tell me you were playing with their hearts to get away, sure they might have kidnapped you but doing that would be beyond low.”

“NO… no I’m not playing with them, it just… happened over time. I got to know them, they didn’t try to rush things and gave me as much freedom as they could. I still love Claudia but I can’t lie and say I don’t feel the same way about the others. They are just… all amazing each in their own way and I can’t bring myself to think of hurting them by choosing just one.”

Sarai remained silent contemplating her son for an agonizing minute.

“Callum I need you to answer honestly… Do you love them?”

“I-I do.” Callum couldn’t help but do one of his tics when he is stressed, pressing both index fingers against each other.

“Do you still love Claudia?”

“Y-yes”

“Are you willing to do anything to make them happy? To make sure they all feel loved and not leave a single one neglected.”

“I do”

“Well if you can convince their families to allow visits between us then I see no reason to stop you.”

“Th-that’s it? No “you’re being unreasonable Callum” or “stop being foolish Callum”?” He couldn’t believe how easily she had given in. His mother was known for being a determined person when she puts her mind to something, yet she had given up in barely a few hours.

“Callum you are old enough to make your own decision, even if I don’t fully agree with them. I’ve seen how you look at them and how they look at you, what you have between each other isn’t some teenage crush, I can see it’s something that developed overtime and required an active effort from both parties.”

Callum was speechless, he knew his mother was good at reading people’s emotions but he never expected her to be that good. He couldn’t lie and say he felt nothing for Amalia and Siphis, despite their behavior they seemed nice enough and he had to admit his burning curiosity about their magic didn’t help dissuade him from wanting to get to know them.

His only worry was how the other three girls would react if they knew about this, Claudia would most likely be even worse if she learned about this.

Now that he thought about it he started dreading her reaction once he explained it in the dream with Selaria’s help. He would probably need to choose his words very, VERY carefully.

“I’ll see if I can talk to the others about it tomorrow, I think everyone has had enough excitement for today. I’ll talk to them about sending some food down here. I-I’m sorry. About everything.”

“Callum most of this was out of your control you just did the best you could, still doesn’t change the fact that I’m surprised at how much of a skirt chaser you are but the girls don’t seem to mind.”

“Mooooom, please don’t call me a skirt chaser, I didn’t chase after them, more like it was the other way around.”

“That’s because of your wittle Callum charm” Callum didn’t protest his mother pinching his cheeks, considering what she had been through he felt like she was entitled to doing a bit what she wanted.

Reluctantly Sarai let go of Callum, even though she smiled he could see the fear of losing him again in her eye.

“Hey who knows maybe this whole thing might open a door to elves and humans making up as a whole.”

“That’s a bit farfetched but it could be a start I’ll admit that. Let’s just hope the elves are reasonable, now do you mind sending my future daughter in laws in? I would like to have a little talk with them.”

Callum went back up the stairs feeling a lot better about the situation, his mom was somewhat ok with it, the girls were eager to know her, he just hoped he would be able to convince the adults to think the same way. He knew how stubborn adults could be, just like Viren it sometimes took a life changing event for them to truly begin changing.

Stepping out of the “dungeon” Callum was greeted by the sight of the trio nervously waiting, they really seemed nervous about making a good first impression.

“She’s waiting for you.”

“Any subject we should avoid talking about?” Rayla’s worry was understandable, they were about to with their mother in law under less than favorable conditions.

“Nothing really, just be honest with her she has a knack for sniffing out lies or half-truths.”

“I’m off to bed, Zaiti do you think it would be possible to arrange something for her to eat? She might be hungry after all that excitement.”

A gentle nod sufficed as an answer to his question.

Leaving the girls to talk with his mother Callum set out to go to bed and along the way think of a way he is going to phrase his request to Zeranya.

\-----------------------------------------------------

“Alright ladies let me get right to the point, I want to know exactly how you met my son and what your intentions are with him.” The trio had faced numerous dangers during their journey, yet this one terrified them beyond belief, one wrong move or word on their part could ruin any chance of winning her approval. Just as Rayla was about to speak up Sarai burst into laughter.

“Ahahahaha, oohhh you girls don’t need to worry I’m just messing with you, Callum told me all about you in detail before you arrived.”

“Good things I hope.” Rayla halfheartedly hoping to ease her stress.

“Oh he told me all about and I quote “amazing each in your own way.”.” The girls couldn’t help but blush, to have the boy you like describe you in such a way is already very touching but to say to his own mother only amplified the effect.

“Although he did mention like everyone else you had your own flaws. For example he mentioned Triz takes thing too lightly sometimes, or that Rayla sometimes you keep your feelings to yourself when you want to share them with the group.”

“Oh I know what Zaiti’s flaw is she sometimes loses control when she gets too excited, just like yesterday in the baths.”

“The what now?” Once more Triz seemed to have jumped onto an eggshell rather than walk.

“Uh nothing.”

“Young lady you have three seconds to tell me what this whole bath thing is or things will get nasty.” Even though she was behind bars Rayla felt like Sarai could make do on that threat, somehow.

“Well last night before we went to bed we kind of had a little wash out together…”

“Go on.”

“We played rock paper scissors for who Callum would give a solo session and Zaiti won….”

“AND?”

“Well during their session Zaiti got a bit too excited and your boy almost became a man that night, luckily we were there to pry her off.”

Zaiti had crouched in the corner of the room out of embarrassment, her head in her hands it was clear it was not the proudest moment of her life.

“So you mean to tell me Callum was unwilling?” The sudden coldness in her voice sent shiver down their spines.

“Not exactly, see Zaiti here got a bit too when Callum was washing her and since she’s a sunfire elf her emotions kind of burned out of control. That spread to Callum who was quite eager to give as much as he took, if you know what I mean.”

A wail could be heard as Zaiti endured the torture of having this story told to the mother of the boy she liked.

“Oh, so he was interested. So how far did you get?”

The question caused a sharp inhale from Zaiti as she realized what Sarai was asking.

“Well by the time we got there his hands were rubbing all over her stomach, a few seconds and I’m certain he would have been all over her b…”

“NOT. ANOTHER. WORD” Zaiti had her hand firmly on Triz’s mouth, a glare so strong one would think it would burn through Triz’s skull. A hearty laugh from Sarai drew attention back to her.

“So although you look like the most prim and proper here you’re actually the most dangerous of the bunch. Should have known.”

Zaiti’s fire was quickly doused at Sarai’s words, once more blushing in embarrassment.

“It… It was out of my control.” The smirk Sarai sported made it quite clear she was simply messing with them.

“Sorry to spoil the good mood we got going on here but I’ve got a slightly more serious question. This ceremony of yours what will it do exactly to Callum, depending on what you tell me I may or may not accept your relation with him.” Triz was the first one to step forward.

“The ritual is only meant to awaken whatever dormant primal connection a human has and physically turn them into an elf to make sure that any children inherits the connection. Mentally they will be unchanged, they will still be the same person as before.”

“Any dangers?” Sarai was not holding her questions back, she wanted reassurance that her boy was going to be fine being with these girls.

“Only if the person is unwilling, if not there are no risks at all.”

“I hope you are being honest with me young lady, because if not then I hope for you I never find out about it.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” The girls nervously awaited the verdict, if they had her approval then taking things further with Callum would be far easier, both for him and them.

“Well as long as Callum stays Callum I’ll love him all the same, elf or not. Besides I can quite see you girls care about him beyond simply needing a stud horse.”

An audible snort erupted from Triz as she desperately tried holding back her laughter.

“Well now that’s out of the way, mind telling me how you girls and my son got so close?”

“Oh uh, where should we start, I think it was after the first time we got away from the human guards…”

\-----------------------------

Callum had taken the opportunity to enjoy a leisurely night stroll, the fresh air helped clear his mind. The silence of the garden under the moon light was a sight to behold, clearly a lot of effort had been put into maintain it. He had taken the time to stroll near the river, it shined like silver under the light of the full moon. The small calm river flowing in the center only helped amplify the serene atmosphere, that atmosphere was broken when bubbles began rapidly surfacing from the water. Callum barely had time to turn around in an attempt to run and distance himself from the cacophony of bubbles before something burst from the water and slammed onto him pining him to the ground.

“I am inviting you sightseeing in the city, you can’t refuse.” He recognized that voice, he had heard not long ago, it was Siphis the Siren.

“Wait what, how did you even get here? What do you mean I can’t refuse?” As usual conversing with her was beyond odd as she seemed to follow her own unique train of thought.

“Swam through ducts, Mom said make an offer he can’t refuse, so you can’t refuse offer.”

“That’s not how it works Siphis.” His protests fell on deaf ears as she placed a hand over his mouth while wrapping her arm around his waist and leaping back into the water.

At first Callum panicked he hadn’t had time to take a deep breath before she jumped, he frantically tried struggling to get back to the surface. It was only when the need to breathe became unbearable did he realize an air bubble covered his mouth, somehow it allowed him to breath as normal meaning it must be some kind of ocean magic. Calming down now that he was certain he wouldn’t choke to death on water he could take in the sight, the water was completely clear his view giving him a perfect view of the canal. Siphis swam with grace and effortlessly swam through the waters almost like they weren’t even there to begin with.

Her grip on him didn’t loosen even after he ceased struggling, unlike him she seemed to be able to breathe just fine underwater. They must have been under water for a good 10 minutes, longer than any human could hope to last. He had to admit being underwater for so long is an interesting experience, the constant noise of water rubbing against your ear, the feeling of water giving way as you swim through it, it was like an entirely new world. Siphis seemed to know her way around these underwater tunnels, he was fairly certain that without her he would have been lost.

Lurching suddenly upwards the duo breached the surface of the water, taking note of his surroundings it seems like they were in some kind of water reserve, numerous blue orbs on podiums seemed to levitate the water into the air through what seemed to be thin sheets of some kind of cloth.

“Is filter, filters water through it, gets dirty stuff out, keeps water clean.” Siphis was as straight forward as ever, although her explanation was quite easy to understand.

“But do people drink this water?” The idea of people drinking water he had swam in didn’t sit well with Callum.

“No is water for cleaning, clothes, people, animals” Most people might think that Siphis was dimwitted from her manner of speaking but from what he had seen she was far from that, granted it took some getting used to but her choice of words were simply the best ones to convey whatever message she had quickly and efficiently.

Dragging both of them out of the water she dragged Callum by the hand towards one of the orbs. Slowly he saw the water in his clothes be dragged out and siphoned into the orb before being driven back into the reservoir.

“Let’s go, much to see.” Before he could even formulate a response Callum was dragged once more by the hand.

“Wait wait isn’t it dangerous for me to walk around town like this?”

“Am daughter of Sirens most people not dare try anything, if do can handle myself and you can use magic.” Callum’s heart must have skipped a beat, he had for the most part been a “passenger” to this whole adventure, for her to put this much faith in hi magic skills despite never having seen them in action made Callum’s heart swell with pride.

Bursting out onto the luckily deserted streets Callum let his desire to explore and discover overtake him.

“Where are we going?”

“Is surprise.”

For a good few minutes Callum could only attempt to keep up with the over enthusiastic sea bound elf, he felt very much like he was being dragged by the current of a river he could not fight against.

Finally they arrived, Callum had expected something “fancy” as befitting of her status as a noble, yet what stood before him was a simple stand, the kind he saw during the festivals back home. The aroma of fried fish invaded his nostrils inflaming his hunger and making his stomach growl with anticipation.

“Hey Siphis how’s my favorite customer. Who’s your friend?” A male tide bound elf

“Callum, future husband. 2 sushi sticks please.”

“We are NOT that close.”

“Yet” The vendor added

“You’re not helping, and she’s skipping more than a few stages in a relationship.”

“Well it’s the first time I’ve ever heard her call any “suitor” in such a positive way, most of the time its “Leech” or “parasite”. I think I’m “fish cooker”.”

“He not suitor, I’m suitor.” Siphis seemed to want to clear up that little misunderstanding quickly.

“Hohohoo, so she’s doing the chasing. Good luck resisting pal, this lady right here is like a shark smelling blood once she’s interested in something.”

“Look I met her just yesterday, there should be some kind of slow progression. I mean I didn’t start liking Triz, Rayla and Zaiti overnight it happened slowly.”

“Hear that Siphis you got competition. At least he seems to be open to getting to know you after all he said there had to be a slow progression not that there would be no progression at all.”

“That is not what I meant…”

“Less talking more eating, here you guys go.”

The aroma of fish plowed through any further thoughts of protest as Callum’s stomach decided it was time it did the talking.

Grabbing his stick Callum dug in as he put aside those thoughts in favor of the food before him. Flavor assailed his taste buds as he bit into the fish, it caved in without resistance requiring no chewing.

For a good ten minutes they enjoyed their food in silence, Callum quietly stared at Siphis, the girl might be odd to interact with at first when one got to know her you discovered that she was simply overly honest and straight forward.

No sooner had they finished their meal that Siphis dropped a few coins on the counter before dragging Callum towards another unknown destination.

“Good luck kiddo you’re gonna need it.”

The vendors words did not help ease Callum’s worries, he had no idea where she was dragging him off to in such a hurry. He considered himself lucky the streets seemed deserted tonight but he had no desire to push his luck even with Siphis around him and his connections to some of the strongest elven families in the city.

After a good 5 minutes of racing through the silent streets they arrived at their destination, it was beautiful blue glowing lake with the full moon’s reflection shining bright.

“This popular spot for tide bound elves, strong connection to ocean although also strong connection to moon.”

Callum couldn’t deny it was a breath taking sight, the glowing blue water had an enthralling property to it.

“Come dance with me” Siphis dragged him to the water but rather than sinking he literally stepped on the water. Callum had no idea what dance this was but it didn’t seem to be a problem as Siphis seemed to simply guide him along as he followed her lead. She held both of his hands spinning and skipping with him in tow as he imitated her movements. Jumps led to spins before leading to closing of the gap between them only to separate once more. It reminded him of a water current twisting and turning through the river, splitting in half only to reunite further down. Bit by bit rather than simply follow he began to predict her movements acting almost in unison with her, he felt like he was being wrapped up in a current and rather than fight it he simply followed it, see where it led him.

Faster and faster the dance sped up their breathing becoming heavier and heavier until finally she lunged forward, swept up in the tempo Callum lunged too causing their lips to collide arms wrapped around each other.

He doesn’t know how long they stayed in each other’s embrace but time didn’t matter during the moment. Finally they slowly separated their hearts still beating in unison, Callum was lost in Siphis dark blue eyes, he hadn’t even realized they were back on dry land, almost like this whole dance had been nothing but a dream.

“That. Was. Amazing! What was that dance? And the water why didn’t I sink?” Siphis smiled warmly at his excitement, this was what she wanted, to get him interested in her and what she had to offer.

Before she could answer him a sharp pain burned in the back of her head, collapsing to the floor she desperately tried to make sense of what had happened. She had kept her senses sharp and hadn’t felt anyone nearby, yet somehow someone had snuck up on her.

“Get the human, don’t kill her or we will have the entire Siren family wanting our heads. Leave her she hasn't seen our faces”

“Stop struggling human, don’t make me break your arms.”

"Don't even think about it, no damaging the merchandise."

Siphis wanted to help but her body refused to heed her command, slowly she felt her grip on her conscious slip, the last thing she saw was unmistakably a moonshadow elf's outfit.

\-------------------------

“I-I can’t feel Callum.”

“Neither can I”

The trio had been happily chatting with Sarai about their adventures with her son, she might not have liked the fact that they went through it in the first place but she was glad they had shown restraint towards her sister and her men. All of a sudden any response they received from Callum's bond with them fell silent.

“What do you mean you can’t feel him?”

“Remember about that bond we told you about, the one that lets use get a general feel of his direction and emotion. Well it’s coming back empty.”

“The bond is still there but I’m not getting any sort of response from Callum’s end.”

The girls were in complete panic they had no idea what happened, Callum was definitely still alive as the bond dissolves completely upon the death of one partner yet theirs was still present.

They could only think of one person that could help, their moms. Rushing back up the stairs the girls ignored Sarai’s pleas to know what was going on.

Right now their only priority was to find Callum.


	20. The hunt is on

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Callum is introduced to his new captors and the girls try to pick up Callum's trail.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter, thank you all for being so patient I hope the quality is still to your liking its hard writing so much over a few days, tried writing it bit by bit on my phone but the environment is very distracting.
> 
> Again thank you all for your comments and feedback, you guys have been amazing.

Light finally blessed Callum’s eyes, ever since these unknown elves had placed a sack over his head only utter darkness was his companion. Shoved about he could only clumsily attempt to follow his captors movements, the words “jackpot” “high price” and “Training” was all he could make out through the sack.

When it was finally removed a moon shadow elf stood before him, her short spiky white hair stood out in the dark cell, an eye patch covered what he assumed to be a scar on her right eye no doubt earned from some fight. A tight green suit like Rayla’s clung to her body.

“Hey there sunshine, you’re probably wondering what the hell is going on. Why was I taken away from that comfy looking life? Well let me give you the short version, you’re a slave now to be sold to the highest bidder, either you act like one and things won’t be so bad for you or you resist and well let’s just say you and I won’t be getting along. Got that?”

Callum was silent as he tried processing what had just been said to him, the dreaded situation Ethari had told him about happened. All because he couldn’t put his foot down against Siphis and his passion for anything magic related.

A hard slap knocked him out of his train of thought.

“Answer me when I’m talking to you.” The elf clearly had very little patience for him, unlike his first kidnappers. He glared defiantly back at the elf, he knew she only saw him as a product to be sold so if she had any brains she would try to minimize doing anything rough to him lest she reduce his value.

“Oooh looks like you got some fire in ya, think I won’t hurt you because we need you in good shape. Too bad for you I’ve got ways to hurt you that won’t leave a mark.”

Those words sent shivers down Callum’s spine, the elf’s smile didn’t make him doubt her words. She really would hurt him even if it carried the risk of damaging him.

“Luckily for you I’m in a good mood thinking about how much you’re gonna bring in once I sell you. So I’ll let you think about how difficult you want to make this for yourself. I’ll even let you get familiar with your very own room. Better have made up your mind by then because we need to inspect the merchandise.” The elf’s words were dripping with hostility, the cell he was currently in could hardly be described as a “room”. Rooms had a purpose whether it be being a place of gathering or work they always had some life in them. This one was deathly quiet, dark walls adorned with chains were the only thing that could be considered furniture. This was a dungeon through and through and this was to be his new “home” at least for the time being, Callum had no intention of remaining a prisoner. Unlike his previous captors these ones gave him very little reason to try and convince them of solving this diplomatically. Callum could only glare in defiance as he watched her leave the cell before slamming the door shut leaving him alone in the dark cell.

Finally having the opportunity to check himself Callum some kind of choker around his neck, it was of a jet black material. Despite having it around his neck her barely felt it only noticing its presence once he laid eyes on it, he didn’t know what it was or what it did but one thing was for sure Callum felt nothing but disgust towards it.

\--------------------------------------------

Alphis was positively drooling as she read the report, somehow through some stroke of luck Gat and her group had managed to find this human called Callum that had been the talk of the town, unguarded and outnumbered they easily subdued him before bringing him back to their headquarters. She had sold many slaves in the past but this one would most likely be the biggest paycheck she will see in her entire life, his base worth alone would be more than enough for anyone to live a life of luxury and if they managed to train him properly his value would skyrocket, every rich elf lady would toss away their fortune to have an obedient human with all connections like him. She had to admit she was tempted to try and make quick “use” of him herself see if their union would bear fruit, as a skywing elf his exceptionally powerful connection to the sky primal sent tingles through her body. Her instincts screamed at her to go for him, to not let him go, to ensure a healthy and powerful offspring before someone else gets to him.

She was tempted to do so, he wasn’t a bad looking human and she couldn’t wait to see how he would look as an elf. He would no doubt be a skywing like her, although she lacked wings and her hair was only of a very light. She was certain he would be of a similar grade as the famous Taili, maybe even higher, the thought flooded her mind with fantasies of the gifted children she might have if she were to succeed in conceiving.

A knock on the door brought her out of her thoughts, the door swung open to reveal a very angry Tal. Tal was a “pure” earth blood elf from before the change and one of her best trainers, no matter how resistant the captive was he always seemed to be able to apply pressure in the right way to get his slaves to cooperate. Unlike Gat who tended to beat her charges into submission Tal took a “carrot and stick” approach. Tal was physically much smaller than the average male earth bound elf giving him a physique more akin to a human. According to Tal it made his job easier as captives felt more at ease around him as he was of the same build as them. Mossy green hair adorned his head 

“Are you really going to gamble that kind of prize with Gat?” Alphis knew what he was talking about, part of him agreed that giving this one in a lifetime prize to someone like Gat was far too risky, yet she couldn’t simply take Gat’s prize and give it to someone else, not without proper reason.

“I understand your frustrations but I can’t break the rules, even for this.” Tal seemed to have thought out his little speech as his response was near instantaneous.

“Then say it’s such a prize that it needs 2 trainers to make sure everything goes well, assign me to him and I can make sure Gat doesn’t go too far. Also having her act as the bad elf will make it easier for me to get him to cooperate.”

Alphis had to admit it was a reasonable solution, Gat kept her prize while Tal kept her in check. Everyone was a winner in this case, although knowing Gat she would most not likely see it that way.

It didn’t take long for Alphis to make the document as she was used to filtering countless documents each day. Passing it to Tal who immediately departed Alphis just hoped that this huge catch wouldn’t spell doom for her. She was confident in their counter measures to being found but she knew how determined an elven lady could get these days and the ones from those families are probably way worse than average. They definitely will use everything in the power to get their human back, although she was confident that the obsidian collar around his neck will prevent them from finding him and prevent him from using magic.

\----------------------------------------

At the dawn guard estate tensions were higher than ever, the news of the girls having their connection to Callum blocked and the fact that he was nowhere to be found had sent everyone in a frantic search for possible clues. Luckily for them one clue emerged on its own, it was Siphis accompanied by her mother. She admitted to sneaking Callum out for a late night date much to the anger of everyone although Sarai shut everyone up as she wanted to hear what happened to her boy. Sarai had been released mostly because the guards couldn’t handle the threats she was tossing at them if they didn’t let her out and also because they felt like she had a right to help look for him.

She went into detail about their date and how in the end they were ambushed by moonshadow elves, the girls had a clear look of worry and jealousy mixed together. They were most likely worried about Callum’s safety but still held a flicker of jealousy for taking him on a date before they did.

The room fell silent as each person digested this new information, only to have that silent shattered with a hammer by Sarai.

“Well what are we waiting for send out search parties, surely you have some idea of who they are!”

“We do know who they are but we can’t carelessly chase after them, they’ll just relocate Callum each time before we find him. We need a way to home in on him.” Zeranya seemed to be the only one that wasn’t cowed into silence by Sarai’s anger.

“Then do you have one?” Sarai was already losing patience, she wanted to move, to start searching.

“I might know someone who could help, although I don’t like to owe her anything.”

“Who is it?” Triz inquired

“Selaria the star touched elf. Her magic can help pierce through the veil of whatever is blocking your link to Callum.”

“Then what are you waiting for bring her over.” Sarai showed no restraint when talking to the others, her maternal instincts bulldozing over any restrictions she normally would have place upon herself.

“I’ve already sent a messenger and considering her interest in your son I doubt she will delay it in anyway.”

“Yeah it seems these days everyone wants a piece of him, counting you girls that makes 7 girls that are after him that he seems interested in.” Sarai’s words caused the trio’s faces to scrunch up in confusion.

“Wait a minute, there’s me, Rayla, Zaiti and Claudia who are the other 3?” Triz seemed angry for once rather than joke about what she learned she seemed more intent on identifying her new rivals.

“There’s that Selaria woman, then that earth blood elf Amalia was her name I think and Miss tidebound here.”

“That fucking horn dog” Tiadrin exploded at the news, she was already against him being with Triz and Zaiti alongside her daughter but the idea of having 3 more girls was more than she could stand.

“Hey don’t you go calling my son a horn dog, it’s not his fault he was born with such good looks and a great personality. Also if sex didn’t seem to be on your kind’s mind 24/7 maybe there would be fewer chasing him.”

“Oh excuse me but our kind is experiencing a population crisis so yes everyone is eager to do their part. Your son on the other hand has no such problems yet he is sniffing up every skirt that shows any remote interest in him. He should start thinking with his head and not the thing between his legs.”

“Enough!!! Now is not the time to fight, we need to work together. There is nothing we can do except wait for Selaria to arrive and being at each other’s throats isn’t helping.” Zeranya intervened before Sarai could fire back.

The two women eyed each other but after a few tense seconds they looked away with a scoff.

The catastrophe averted tensions were allowed to dissipate. Unfortunately that was put in danger when Sarai shifted her attention to Siphis who was nervously playing with her fingers. She clearly wasn’t used to being the center or attention in such a negative way, or at least attention she cared about.

“As for you Miss Siphis I hope for your sake Callum will be fine. I understand why you did it but you didn’t even think of potential complications.” Sarai wanted to be rougher with the tide bound girl but her complete look of despair and her nervous fidgeting told her the girl had been punished enough at it is. This was definitely not how she wanted things to turn out.

“He was under guard for a reason, but noooo you go and fucking kidnap him out of the estate. Now we have no idea what they could be doing to him.” Scylla snapped in Tiadrin’a direction a look of hostility bare for all to see.

“Lay off Tiadrin having him stolen under her watch is punishment enough, scolding her won’t bring him back.”

“Well we wouldn’t be in this fucking situation if it wasn’t for her in the first place!”

“Mom that’s enough, look at her. Do you think this was what she wanted? Yes she made a mistake but shouting at her isn’t going to fix things. All we can do is wait for Selaria to get here and then once we know where he is we can make our move.”

Being scolded by her own daughter seemed to have quite the impact, more than Lain achieved when he tried calming his wife down. Runaan and Ethari didn’t even bother trying as they knew that it would be completely useless.

The room fell back into silence, with nothing to do time slowed to a crawl, every minute felt agonizingly slow and yet this was all they could do.

“Those mother fuckers!!!” Gat tossed her bottle of alcohol at the wall causing it to explode into a thousand shards. She had been enjoying a drink in her quarters as a celebration of catching the biggest prize of possibly the entire millennium when she was suddenly informed that Tal would have shared custody of HER hard earned prize. It pissed her off to no end, why the hell should he get a piece of the fruits of her labor when he did nothing, Callum was her prize to train, to gloat about when she sold him.

Gat paced through her quarters thinking of what to do, if she left things as is then Tal would steal all the credit for himself while leaving her in the dirt. The mere thought of it infuriated her to no end, besides She was confident Tal’s methods would not work in this case, they needed to move fast and sell him as quickly as possible, the families that they stole him from had plenty of resources at their disposal individually, if they joined forces then finding him was only a matter of time. They needed to sell him and make him someone else’s problem before then.

Fueled by her anger and alcohol a dark thought began to creep into her mind, how can they begin training him to be an Elven slave when he isn’t an elf in the first place.

A dark grin spread across her lips as the idea took root in her mind. Marching out of her room, through the dark tunnels of their underground base she moved with clear purpose, the odd comrade she met along the way quickly moved out of the way knowing that blocking her path while she is like that is a very bad idea.

She had to act fast lest Tal catch wind of what she planned, searching for a few minutes she finally found her trusty gang of moonshadow elves. Whether it be through fear or loyalty they followed her orders without question, snapping them out of whatever conversation they were having with a simple grunt the group quickly fell behind their leader, none daring to ask what they were doing.

Silently they walked to the cell block, countless cells held various human prisoners, some already broken some still defiant. Only one interested Gat though, ignoring any other cell she made a bee line for Callum’s cell, swinging the door open the sight of the human defiantly sitting down throwing her angry glares was what greeted her. She found his defiance amusing more than anything he would bend sooner or later he simply was making things harder for him and more entertaining for her. Stomping up to him she wordlessly snatched his arm forcing him to his feet before pushing him forward urging him to get moving. 

Refusing to budge, a punch from Gat straight to his sides got him moving, now “informed” that she wasn’t afraid of hurting him.

Silently clutching the point of impact Callum wordlessly walked occasionally turning when Gat barked an order. The blow still clearly stung but Callum attempted to put on a face of strength, hoping to hamper his captor’s progress as much as he could while avoiding another blow.

For a good ten minutes the group walked silently through the corridors, occasionally encountering a stray worker or two who decided it was best not to ask questions as to why the human was out of his cell. After all Callum was the hottest topic right now, almost every group wanted a piece of the pie but only Tal was strong willed enough to step into the metaphorical ring with Gat.

Finally they arrived at their destination a large heavy metal door covered the entrance, this was the ritual chamber. Heavily isolated thanks to thick layers of steel to mask the magic emanating from the ritual, with a movement of her head Gat ordered her underlings to push the heavy door open. Inside there was practically no furniture except for a simple desk and a comfortable looking chair, upon said chair sat a snoring female earth blood elf. The “ritual master” as was her nickname was actually called Mandy although she preferred the nickname as it made her sound more authoritative.

“Wake up lazy head!!” Startled awake by the sudden shouting Mandy almost fell off her chair in her, slamming her hands on the desk for support it took a good half a minute for Mandy to get her bearings.

Her face contorted to one of panic and confusion once her brain caught up with who she was currently staring at.

“Gat! Hey I uhhh wasn’t expecting you. Wh-what can I do for you?”

“I want him to undergo the ritual.”

A look of fear projected itself onto Mandy’s face at hearing those words.

“Um im sorry but he isn’t um scheduled, like at all. So I’m sorry but I-i can’t have him go through it, there’s too much danger involved and Alphis will kill me if I lose that human.”

Gat grabbed Mandy by her collar pulling her over the desk, a knife in her hand.

“And I’ll kill you if you don’t, you either go through with it and have a chance at living or you refuse and you have a guarantee of dying. What it’s gonna be?”

Mandy was frozen in fear at this ultimatum, for a good minute her mind raced for an answer, which decision would avoid her a painful and gruesome death.

A small press from Gat’s knife helped speed up her decision.

“O-ok I-I’ll do it no need to get stabby.”

“Smart choice, take his clothes.” Gat releases Mandy as she barked her order to her underlings who complied immediately.

Seizing Callum they set about prying of his clothes despite his best attempts to resist.

“Hey wait why do you even need to do this”

“Because little prince Callum your change might bring out new features beyond just horns, things like tattoos, moss, wings and I don’t want to miss a single one.”

Gat has to admit he was nice to look at, he wasn’t some muscular athlete or a fat noble, instead he struck a perfect middle. His slim body didn’t show any trace of real fat nor any significant muscle, his embarrassed expression made her want to torment him even further. Her eyes trailed downwards, finally coming to rest where his hand lay blocking her view from what he sought o hide from her.

  
  


“Move your hand human” Callum glared angrily at her demand remaining defiant for a good 10 to 15 seconds.

“Don’t make me come over there, trust me it won’t be pleasant for you.” trembling and redder than ever Callum allowed his hand to rest at his side, his head turned to the side refusing his to look his tormentor in the face.  
  


“Oooh lala you’re gonna make some lucky lady very happy with that thing boy.” Gat blatantly admired Callum’s package, Mandy couldn’t help but cover her eyes but still peek through her fingers, some of her underlings visibly blushed at what they saw. She knew humans bred like rabbits compared to elves and if they all have a similar package she could understand why. Between Callum’s legs lay a flaccid 7 inch beast, from the looks of it, it would gain a centimeter or 2 if he got excited, if he learned to use it properly girls would go crazy for him and he would leave more than a few walking funny afterwards.

“Well that’s enough stalling get in the circle.” Gat pointed at an ornately drawn circle in the ground, various runes decorated its surface. Callum hesitated remaining frozen, Mandy silently crept next to him. 

“I’ll try to make it as gentle as possible, please don’t fight it, it will only make things worse.”

Callum could only meekly nod, terrified of what was about to happen he slowly made his way into the centre of the circle.

Mandy began chanting causing the circle to glow a bright white, panic swelled in his hurt before a searing pain assaulted his entire body.

—————————

“For the last time we need her”

“She almost killed Callum”

“By accident”

This argument had been going on for a good 10 minutes, once Selaria arrived she wasted no time gathering up the girls, gone was her playful mystery look.

Once the girls had been gathered she initiated some kind of ritual that would allow them to combine their connection to Callum and break through whatever was blocking them.

Sarai, Siphis, Triz, Zaiti and Rayla were brought into a circle around Selaria. Chanting a spell they didn’t know, white tendrils slithered from Selaria and into their heads. When the girls came back to their senses they were no longer in the mansion, instead they were in a black empty space. It took a few moments to get their bearings and another few as well as a few slaps to get Triz to stop crying about “having been plugged”. Rayla had to admit it did surprise her at first, gone were their clothes, their skin an ethereal blue, their more “erotic” body parts were partially gone. The hole in between their legs was no longer there, their nipples were also gone leaving their breasts as blue spheres of flesh, well that was the case for the others. Rayla didn’t have big enough breasts leaving her with only slight bumps across her chest, at least she had her toned hips she was secretly proud of.

Selaria quickly gathered the girls, in her hands was a bright white strand of light that slithered forward before suddenly vanishing into the darkness.

“I have some bad news, I am able to have a grasp of Callum’s soul but whatever they are using to block us out is very strong. We need another person with a strong connection to Callum.”

“How about Claudia? She was Callum’s first love before all this crap happened.” Sarai’s suggestion was met with extreme disapproval from the original trio.

When they mentioned why they were so against getting aid from her, Sarai steamed with anger, everything seemed to be out to take Callum from her it.

Yet that anger subsided when Selaria reminded herself that she needed her to save Callum, she could still spank her ass raw afterwards.

“Girls the more time we waste arguing the higher we risk losing Callum. Selaria bring her in.”

With a nod Selaria closed her eyes and began chanting, for the first few seconds nothing happened, slowly blue particles began appearing. Bit by bit the gathered in one spot, slowly forming a humanoid shape, a few seconds later Claudia was before them her back turned to them.

“Where the hell am I? Where the hell are my clothes, why am smooth down there.”

Claudia turned around as she sought to take in her surroundings, her sight falling on the group.

Her look of surprise turned to one of hostility as she recognised the trio.

“You! Your the ones that took Callum from me.”

Claudia reflexively made a grab for some kind of ingredient for a spell, having forgotten she was without her bag leaving her grasping air.

“Claudia we don’t have time for this we need your help.” Sarai decided it was best she intervene now and not allow this to escalate.

“Sarai what are you doing here and why are you with the elves that kidnapped Callum?”

“It’s a long story I’ll tell you later, right now we need your help. Callum is in danger and we need you to help us locate him.”

“No, no this is some kind of trick...”

“I know you’ve been buying kinky toys in preparation for your night with Callum, you might look prim and proper but you have a very dirty mind.”

“Ok ok, that is way too personal for some illusion to know. Ok fine I’ll help not for you guys but for Sarai and Callum.”

“Great, now that’s resolved if you would all please grab hold of this rope, the longer we take the higher the risk of something happening to Callum” Selaria held out the glowing light string she had conjured, each girl grabbed hold of a section Claudia had to be separated from the girls by Sarai as their hostility towards each other could not be ignored.

“Now grab on tight and don’t let go, we are going inside Callum in three, two, one.” At that word the girls were dragged violently as the rope retracted sending them flying through the darkness. The journey must have lasted barely a few seconds as they slowed down shortly after their departure, the darkness was now filled with various floating transparent orbs, within they saw various scenes of what seemed to be Callum’s life, his first meeting with his half-brother Ezran, his first attempt at confessing to Claudia, his kidnapping.

“These are the memories that affected Callum the most, do not touch anything girls you could mess with his mind, he might even forget you or who he is if you touch the wrong thing.”

“Where are we going exactly?” Rayla inquired

“We are currently seeing Callum’s past, what we want to see is the present, if we get there we can either use his environment to locate him or we can try to enhance the connection so that it goes through the block even if only slightly.”

The journey continued in silence as various until a shout from Claudia shattered it.

“What the fuck Callum, you weren’t gone for a single fucking day and you’re already jumping into bed with these elves.” It seemed that Claudia had spotted a series of orbs that showed the various intimate moments Callum shared with the trio.

“Claudia I can understand your anger but now is not the time.”

“What do you mean not the time, I chased after him, I tried saving him and meanwhile he was getting all friendly with them.”

“Claudia like I said I can understand your anger and you will have a talk with Callum once we get him back but right now we need you focused.”

“No this is bullshit, if he wants to be with these elves so much why should I help save him.”

“CLAUDIA, I will warn you only this once but if you jeopardize this entire thing I promise you will regret it, for the rest of your life.” Sarai’s threat “encouraged” Claudia to keep her displeasure to herself, not that it stopped her from continuing to throw venomous glares at the girls.

Suddenly the rope thrashed violently almost causing the girls to lose their grip.

“Selaria what’s happening!”

“Something is killing Callum, do not let go of the rope!”

The girls held tightly as the rope thrashed more and more swinging them around like ragdolls, at various points the rope began to visibly crack and thin out.

“Girls the only way we can save him is we share some of our energy with him, if we don’t he won’t survive this. Just think as hard as you can of Callum and don’t resist.”

The girls did as instructed, burning a mental image of Callum in their mind, his goofy smile, his emerald eyes, his smooth brown hair. The girls felt something being pulled from them, it was like their breath was being sucked out, the pain was almost unbearable, their bodies screamed to let go. White energy slithered from their arms and fused with the rope, repairing the damaged parts, the thought that letting go would mean that Callum would die gave them the strength to soldier on through the pain.

Slowly the rope began to settle, its violent thrashes died down to weak twitches until it fell still. It glowed weakly but it glowed nonetheless.

“Thank the primals, he’s safe for now, but he’s weak. This means we can’t go with my original plan.”

“What exactly was your plan?” Claudia inquired

“I intended to have you all take a core piece of Callum’s soul, it would have strengthened your bond with Callum and as a group you would have been able to home in on him. However, from what I can see taking more than one piece would put his life in danger. Only one of you will be able to feel Callum and it will be very vague and inaccurate, but its better than nothing.”

The group remained silent as they each thought to themselves as to who should take that role. Continuing to follow the rope the girls arrived to a floating white orb, it glowed gently like the moon in the night sky yet crackles of electricity surged from it occasionally.

“This is it, this is Callum’s soul. The question is who will be the guide?”

“I vote on Rayla.” Zaiti’s response was immediate having clearly been thought out.

“If she is the one who can sense Callum she can remain hidden better than any of us could. If the thieves don’t know she is coming for him they won’t try to relocate him.”

A universal nod greeted her explanation although Claudia only stared coldly at the group.

“Well that’s settled then.” Selaria proceed to walk up to the orb before gently reaching through it and pulling of a tiny piece and holding it out to Rayla.

Rayla cautiously accepted it, the piece flickering made it seem like it could vanish at any second. Instinctively she knew what to do, pressing the piece against her chest it phased through her assailing her with new feelings.

She could feel Callum, his pain, his worry, his fear. It made the pain from earlier seem almost pale in comparison, she wanted to go save Callum immediately but Selaria’s next words dashed any hopes she had.

“It will take time for you to attune yourself to it, right now you won’t be able to find him. You will need time, I know it is a lot to ask but I promise you this is the only way. I suggest we go get some rest for the moment, knowing the group that kidnapped him they will no doubt use every means at their disposal to ensure his recovery.”

The girls were visibly heart broken, they had hoped that this little excursion would have allowed them to rush to Callum’s rescue yet here they were stuck and forced to remain idle while those bastards did god knows what to Callum. 

“I am about to send us back, Sarai if you have any parting words you would like to convey to Claudia I suggest you do it now.”

Turning towards Claudia Sarai gently place a hand on her cheek, a warm smile on her face.

“I know it’s a lot to take in and you are probably still confused about all this but I promise you once Callum is safe I’ll explain everything to you, as many times as you like. I know it’s hard for you to trust them but they really aren’t bad people, just desperate.”

Claudia only reciprocate Sarai’s smile, she was still hurt by how quickly Callum seemed to have fallen for the very people that kidnapped him but if Sarai said so then there had to be some truth to it.

That smile was the last thing Sarai saw before she was lurched back into the darkness.

\----------------------------------------

Alphis was fuming, murderous didn’t even begin to describe her mood. That idiot Gat had done something she thought not even she would dare to do considering how precious her charge was. Forcing him through the ritual on his first fucking day, it almost killed him and according to the report Mandy gave it should have, yet somehow he survived even if barely.

After ordering Gat’s lock up and giving Tal complete authority over Callum’s training Alphis marched out of her office and towards the ritual room. It took her a good minute even if she knew the way as the tunnels spread throughout most of the city, arriving at the bashed in door due to her henchmen forcing entry in an attempt to stop Gat once they caught wind of the situation. The human had been left there as he was so weak that transporting him seemed too risky and instead the best healers they had were brought directly to him instead. The room was filled with 3 earth bound elves mixing various plants together, no doubt to help him recover faster and avoid and degradation in his health.

Finally she saw the result of the ritual for herself and it was nothing short of gorgeous. On a series of towels that had been gently slipped under him the unconscious human lay, upon his head two bright blue horns had grown, a pair of blue wings had sprouted from his back and various primal tattoos slithered across his chest, back, arms, legs and even up his neck and into his eyes like a lightning strike arching towards the ground.

Even in his near death state his primal source was a powerful easily rivaling Taili’s level when she is healthy, his horns and wings crackled with the occasional spark and his tattoos pulsed with magic. She dreaded to imagine what he would be like once he recovered. Her body’s instincts had erupted into a cacophony of demands to secure this one for herself, her primal source knew that this kind of potential partner was a once in a thousand year opportunity and it would not allow her to pass up this chance. It pulled at her demanding she take her chance now before anything else bad happened to him.

She wouldn’t heed its demand, at least not yet. He was too weak to do anything and she was not willing to risk his health further, she would wait until he regained some of his strength then and only then would she make her move. In the mean time she would need to punish Gat for her stupidity almost costing them everything and assign a full squad of guards to him not just to keep him prisoner but also to make sure nothing like this happens again.

Throwing once last lust filled look at Callum, Alphis departed from the room leaving the various doctors to their work. She had work to do and with a prize like that before her nothing would stop her.


	21. Soul searching

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Callum wakes up and discovers his new self while Rayla continues to try to pinpoint Callum.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you guys go, hope you like this chapter, sorry again for the length it takes to make a new chapter. Life has been very busy for me.  
> Its a bit shorter than other chapters mostly because I couldnt find anything else to add that would leave too much of a cliff hanger without going over the 6000 word count.
> 
> Thank you all for being patient, also thank you all for following this story never would I have thought it would reach the 13000 views in such a short time. Again love to hear you guys thoughts and feedback.
> 
> I'll be doing a rereading of all my chapters for grammar error and blanks so to polish the other chapters.
> 
> Without further delay enjoy.

Callum’s entire body ached, all he remembered was that highly unpleasant elf Gat bringing him to that ritual place before the searing pain assaulted his entire being. It had felt like he was being fried alive from the inside, he had occasionally been zapped when he touched some objects after rubbing cloth too much but that pain had been brief and light.  
  
What he had felt was a million times worse, if he had to describe it it would be like a lightning bolt was rampaging inside of him frying his insides, he honestly felt like he was going to die at one point he was fairly certain he was at deaths door as he felt his consciousness slipping. All of a sudden the pain began to abate, instead a gentle warmth seeped into him.  
He didn’t know what it was but he welcomed it over the shocking pain, bit by bit the pain vanished, the warmth caused flashes of the girls to slip into his mind. It must have been less than a day and he already missed them so much, those were his last thoughts before he had collapsed onto the cold hard ground.  
  
Now awake he was greeted by the sight of the room’s cold steel roof, why they had decided to add that to this room he had no idea.  
  
“Oh good he’s awake” a male voice snapped Callum out of his train of thought, with great effort he slowly turned his head towards the source.  
  
It was an earth blood elf his exessive use of the color green gave it away, he seemed to be a guy from the voice and his physical appearance. Callum’s still jumbled mind wasn’t exactly the most efficient right now at processing information. Next to him there seemed to be another person, a skywing from her looks but her lack of wings left him unsure.  
  
“Glad to see you are still among the world of the living. I can imagine you are a bit confused considering you blacked out but long story short your safe and nothing like that will ever happen to you I guarantee that.”  
  
Those were some nice words but something about the tone of his voice rubbed Callum the wrong way, rather than concern about his well being as a person it felt more like someone checking his goods aren’t damaged.  
  
“My name is Tal and I’ll be your new... “handler”, I promise you I am nothing like Gat. If you cooperate I’m sure we can get you some “privileges”, although that is only if you cooperate.”  
  
Callum knew what he was doing, he was trying to make himself seem like the “kinder” option than Gat. In Callum’s eyes he was just as bad as her for doing this kind of work in the first place.  
  
“I-I’m Alphis, I really w-want to apologise for Gat’s stupidity on my word as executive it won’t happen ever again.”  
  
Alphis seemed much less confident compared to Tal, she seemed distracted, nervous even. Why she was like this he had no idea.  
  
Tal threw a worried glance at Alphis who seemed to fail to notice at all, continuing to stare at Callum instead.  
  
“Well I think we will leave you rest for the day, you probably want to explore yourself a bit. Word of advice though don’t try to escape using sky magic those cuffs and chains were built specifically for sky users.”  
  
It was only then that Callum realised the slight sense of confinement to his arms, straining his head downwards Callum saw the cause for the discomfort. Upon his wrists were 2 metal shackles with various bright blue glowing runes inscribed onto it, Callum also noticed the strange tattoos that weren’t there before on his arms.  
  
“The shackles are us but the tattoos belong to you, your an elf now boy, a skywing to be exact and a very powerful one at that. Pretty sure any possible skywing buyers will be throwing themselves at you.”  
  
Callum’s heart sank at those words, he had hoped that the pain he had experience would mean that his body would reject the transformation, that it would remain his big step to take once ready.  
  
Tal walked out of sight taking Alphis along with him despite her slight resistance. Worried Callum strained himself to bring his hand to his eyes, his weakness combined with the weight of the shackles made it an arduous task but Callum needed to see this.  
  
His hand finally came into full view, just as he had feared his pinky was gone, taken just like his choice in the transformation. His little toe was most likely gone as well, tears and sobs built up in his eyes and throat. Some might say that it was an overreaction to losing a finger but to Callum it was more of a matter of principle, a part of him had been torn from him without his consent he felt violated, he didn’t know what else had changed in him it might not even be a physical one.  
  
His sorrow and anger at having been altered like that seemed to give him strength as he managed to right himself up with great effort, leaving him sitting down on the bed of towels.  
  
“Hey hey take it easy, you’re still recovering.” Startled by the voice Callum turned to his left to see Mandy sitting down next to him. He had completely failed to notice her having been too busy with his current predicament.  
  
“I know you want to check yourself but I don’t recommend moving too much, I got a mirror if you want.”  
  
Mandy brought up a small mirror and Callum didn’t recognise the boy before him.

Upon his head were a pair of bright blue horns crackling with electricity, his ears were now long and pointy, wings of the same color sprouted from his back and tattoos like thunder slithered across his entire body. Strangely his skin wasn’t of a purple blue hue like a typical a skywing elf, instead remaining its usual bright pink.  
  
Callum had hoped he had resisted enough that the change wouldn’t take place, but seeing his new form made him feel violated. This should have been his choice to make, yet he had been forced through it. Just like his missing pinky finger he felt like a part of him had been ripped from him. He wanted to cry but he felt so weak he couldn’t even find the energy to waste on crying.  
  
“I’m really sorry this happened to you like this, Gat should never have been allowed to be in charge of you. If there is anything I can do to make you feel better...”  
  
“Just-just leave me alone, please” Callum’s voice shivered and cracked as he spoke those words, even if he didn’t have the energy to cry his voice didn’t lie.  
  
Silently Mandy got up and made her way to the door, she knew that giving him some time alone was her only option. She wasn’t close to him and she was one of the people that did this to him.  
  
“There’s some food and water next to you if your hungry.” The door shutting was the last noise in the room before silence became Callum’s only companion, after what felt like an eternity of anguish the pain finally gave way to hunger.  
  
Eyeing the food tray on the ground Callum’s stomach demanded nutrition, a call he couldn’t resist. The food was a simple set of sandwiches with meat in them, a glass bottle of clear water accompanied it, a gentle burning candle completed the set.  
  
As he stretched out his hand to grab the sandwich something hot struck his arm, pulling back by reflex Callum stood confused as to what happened. Checking his arm thoroughly he failed to find any mark, staring at the candle the only source of heat in his cell he cautiously brought his hand back towards it. Clenching for the same kind of sensation Callum was met instead with nothingness, nothing happened, there was no jolt of heat like last time. He even stayed a good few more seconds just to check, when there was still no reaction Callum relaxed and deduced it must have been his jumble mind playing tricks in him.  
  
Suddenly Callum felt warmth spreading through his arm, looking directly at the candle he saw it being “sucked” towards his arm despite the lack of wind. The bright blue tattoos on his arm slowly turned a bright orange and bit by bit morphed into something that looks more like a dancing flame rather than thunder. Bit by bit the orange and warmth slithered up his arm, panicking Callum pulled his arm away with the heat disappearing almost instantly. Checking his arm the tattoos reverted back to their original blue and the electric shape. Callum wasn’t sure what he just had discovered about his new body but it was definitely something he would need to figure out without letting his captors know.  
  
———————  
  
“Are you sure you’re okay? You seemed pretty odd back there.”  
  
“I’m fine Tal, he’s just a rather... enthralling sight. If he was an earth blood elf I am certain you would have acted the same way, especially since I know your interests don’t lay in the opposite gender.”  
  
“Just make sure that sight doesn’t make you do something stupid.”  
  
Alphis could only smirk at Tal’s worry, yes for a skywing elf he was exactly what someone with a sky connection would look for, however, she knew how to keep herself under control. She fully intended to make use of him before he is sold but she wasn’t about to do anything he asked her to do it.  
  
Right now though there was a more pressing matter, punishing the idiot who made this happen in the first place. Arriving to a cell guarded by 2 large sunfire elves Alphis felt her anger begin to surface once more, she had thought of what kind of torture she would make Gat endure for endangering their most precious merchandise to date, after a good hour of thinking she came up with a simple but effective method. It would most likely send Gat into a spiralling rage but considering what she did Alphis felt this was a more than justified punishment.  
  
After the guards opened the cell and they walked in with the door closing behind them they were greeted by the sight of Gat with her hands and feet bound to the wall by chains. Her face filled with anger scanned them silently, the duo did the same. The minute long silence was finally broken by Gat.  
  
“So what do you think of the human?” Gat’s tone held a hint of pride and hostility mixed together, she clearly was proud of what she had done.  
  
“I might have said good job on a record breaking transformation if it wasn’t for the fact that you almost killed him” Alphis was definitely not in the mood to play Gat’s games.  
  
“But he didn’t die did he? So what’s the problem, I saved us a lot of time especially considering his original kidnappers are probably turning the city upside down looking for him.”  
  
“Even if he lived through it, it doesn’t change the fact that you almost cost us our biggest catch ever. As for those families I highly doubt they will find us, we have been doing this for years and no one’s ever found us.” Alphis wished she could have more confidence in her own words, yes they had avoided being found up until now but that was mostly because they avoided provoking multiple powerful families and they tended to make it look like the human ran away.  
  
Pissing off 4 powerful groups like that could end with disastrous results if they didn’t play their cards right.  
  
“As per our rules you need to be punished... severely. Now I have thought hard about what to do to you, I have thought of all kinds of physical and mental punishments. However, I decided on one that would suit you perfectly, you will stay here chained up in this cell until Callum is sold, you will be told each day how the training progresses and once he is sold you will be told how much he brought and you will receive a much smaller cut than what you would normally get.”  
  
Gat’s confident smirk melted away at those words, panic and anger made themselves visible on her face.  
  
“You can’t do this, I’m the one that caught him, I’m the one that took that risk!!!”  
  
“And the results of those risks would have been yours if you hadn’t taken such an unnecessary risk. Now you will get almost nothing from it, i would consider that a fitting punishment.”  
  
Gat was now angrily struggling against her chains screaming a series of obscenities that even a dragon would have a tough time stomaching.  
  
“Tal will be in charge of Callum’s training from now on, I would say I bid you a good but that would be lying.”  
  
Without another word the duo left the cell of the screaming Gat who was still cooking up a storm of obscenities.  
  
“Well that’s one matter resolved, I will leave you to your work I have other matters to attend to.”  
  
With a nod Tal began walking away before Alphis called to him one more time.  
  
“One last thing Tal, don’t disappoint me the next auction is in a week try to have him ready by then.”  
  
One week was a challenge but considering his charge is a sheltered prince he feels like his approach will be much more effective than with someone who has never tasted luxury, after all what sheltered child wouldn’t do what he is told for a chance at regaining his little comforts.  
  
With a simple nod Tal walked back towards his office, he planned to let Callum rest for today, in the meantime he would plan his training schedule. Callum would be his biggest payout and he fully intended to give it his all.  
  
—————————————  
  
Rayla was currently meditating with Selaria’s help, according to her doing this regularly helped strengthen her connection to Callum. At first she didn’t believe her but as she kept meditating she slowly began to feel something, fear, worry, confusion but these weren’t her feelings they were someone else’s. Egged on by finally feeling something she put her heart and soul into meditating, the constant stillness made it almost unbearable as her mind constantly reminded her she had to find Callum, several times she was tempted to go look for him the old fashion way but she knew in her heart that this was the best and safest method.  
  
While she worked in finding Callum through her bond the others continued searching physically, they had agreed that if they stood around and did nothing while Callum had been kidnapped the opposition would get suspicious.  
  
Rayla wanted to join them badly, she had been meditating for a good three hours with only a few short breaks making her feel like she isn’t making progress fast enough. Luckily Selaria was constantly there to remind her how important it was she got a good grip on her connection with Callum, as soon as she has one they can make a beeline for Callum before the kidnappers have a chance to react and move him.  
  
She did feel a bit guilty that she couldn’t share this bond with the others but Selaria reassured her that theirs could reach the same level given enough time and effort, they were simply speeding things up due to the urgency of the situation.  
  
Rayla had to admit at first she was cautious and mistrusting of Selaria on an unconscious level as she saw her as a rival in love forcing her way into the scene. Yet with the time she has spent with her and how she helped prevent them from searching for Callum like a bunch of decapitated chickens by giving them a reliable and precise way, Rayla has come to somewhat accept Selaria.  
  
Her intentions seemed to be good and she knew she would continue to pursue Callum while respecting his wishes, if Callum decided to accept her advances Rayla wouldn’t oppose it, or at least not too much.  
  
If Callum has been the one doing the chasing Rayla wouldn’t have been so accepting as it would have meant he didn’t see the trio as enough, yet he had done no flirting of any kind the other girls were simply drawn to like a moth to a flame.  
  
She had asked Selaria how she felt about Callum, did she see him as a means to an end or does she want him as a person.  
Selaria admitted that before meeting him in person her interest was purely to keep her legacy going but once she met him her interest in him grew beyond that, in her opinion he was an overly kind lad and a surprisingly open one. According to her if he had achieved a position of power in the human kingdoms he might have become one of the key figures to helping reconcile things between elves and humans.  
  
She had made it clear that ultimately the final decision would remain with Callum, she definitely would try her best to convince Callum to let her join their “little group” but if he refuses then she will simply have to wait for another star blessed human something she highly doubted would happen considering how rare they are.  
  
Rayla had to admit she felt pity for Selaria for most elves finding a human with a connection similar to their own was fairly easy as they were fairly abundant even if it wasn’t always at the strength they desired, however, a human having even a slightly weak star connection was so abysmally rare that scholars estimated that some Star touched elves could wait their entire 1000 year life span and still meet no compatible human.  
  
For Callum to have one must have been a blessing for Selaria and the thought of denying her a chance at having children did not sit well with Rayla. She had agreed to not deny that to Triz and Zaiti so not following the same rule for Selaria who was even more limited than they were would be incredibly hypocritical.

Callum’s feelings that flooded into her made her long to hold him, to comfort him, she was certain any of the other girls would desire the same thing.  
  
Strangely new feelings were forcing the old ones out, joy, curiosity, excitement. She didn’t know what the hell had him so excited and she probably won’t find out soon, the only thing she could hope for is that he wasn’t getting along with one of the kidnappers over there, it was beginning to feel a little crowded over here with all these girls aiming for the same boy.  
  
Focusing her mind once more she dove into her subconscious grasping everything she could feel from the deluge of positive feelings from Callum  
  
—————————-  
  
Callum was positively ecstatic, he had been tested his body’s reaction to fire bit by bit. From what he saw it seemed that the element was trying to be become “dominant” if he let it in, if he focused he could get it to stop spreading further than what he desired. Once he grew confident in his control over it and focusing on the warmth it brought he allowed it to go up his entire arms, focusing on the now flickering flame of the candle he had slowly raised his hand towards it. He didn’t know what exactly he was expecting but he didn’t expect the flame to suddenly reinvigorate itself detach itself from the candle and follow what movements his hand made. Like a child discovering something new Callum allowed his excitement get the better of him, flailing his arms around him he made the flame dance around him like a serpent made of fire. It’s flaming coils twisted through the air, caressing his wings, even when it passed inches from his face Callum felt no pain from the heat. It also seemed like the fire was reacting to his desires as when he felt the fire was too big or bright it would dim on its own while the opposite happened if he wanted it stronger.  
  
However, his little play time was interrupted by the sound of knocking on his cell door.  
  
His joy evaporated and his focus diverted itself completely towards the door. Deprived of its fuel the flames spluttered out of existence leaving Callum in near darkness, only the single torch on the wall provided light. The door opened to reveal a large bulky guard in full iron armour making it impossible to tell if it was a man or woman and their lack of distinct colour made it hard to tell what kind of elf he was dealing with.  
  
“You done eating?” The guard barked.  
  
It took a few seconds for Callum’s panicked brain to process what the guard said.  
  
“Uh yes, yes I’m done.” Callum’s heart pounded as he hoped the guard didn’t catch a glimpse of what Callum was doing.  
  
The guard stared silently at Callum alternating between looking at him and the candle.  
  
“If this was some kind of attempt to ambush me in the dark I recommend putting out the torch as well.”  
  
The tone the guard took made it clear to Callum this was meant to be more of a joke than a serious accusation. The guard was probably certain he/she could take Callum on even if he ambushed him/her especially since his magic was sealed by the cuffs.  
  
Confidently walking into the cell picked up the platter before heading back to the door.  
Before fully exiting the room the guard turned back to Callum.  
  
“Word of advice kid, don’t make our job or Tal’s job harder than it needs to be. Do that and we will get along just fine, Tal might even throw some comforts your way if you behave.”  
  
Callum threw a defiant glare at the guard eliciting a chuckle from the figure.  
  
“I’ve seen that look plenty of times kiddo, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”  
  
The door slammed shut behind the guard leaving Callum to his own devices once more.  
  
Callum waited a few minutes before moving again, checking for any further possible interruption Callum was met only with silence.  
  
He really wanted to see if he could do the same thing with the torch but the risk of putting it out was too great, the guard might not have found the candle being out suspicious but he definitely would notice the torch.  
If they started suspecting foul play they might increase their watch leaving him even fewer opportunities to explore this bizarre trait of his body.  
  
He tried placing his hand upon the ground but nothing came of it, not strange feeling whatsoever.  
A noise caught Callum’s attention, it was rhythmic and nearly silent but the noise couldn’t be confused with anything else, it was dripping water.  
  
Slowly inching towards the sound in near darkness, his tattoos began to glow a deep blue growing only brighter as he seemed to get closer to the sound.  
  
Finally he felt a familiar feeling, rather than a gentle warmth he felt soothed, safe like a child in its parents arms. His tattoos were already beginning to change, the deep blue had slithered up his forearm and the formerly thunder like tattoos had become something more akin to a rippling wave.  
  
Focusing again Callum halted the spread, focusing in the direction of the noise he once more spread out his arm. The noise ceased as soon as he did so, slowly making his way backing towards the torch he was treated to the sight of a ball of water hovering a few feet from him. The noise had started up again meaning that his power had some kind of distance before it was effective, at least for the moment.  
  
Just like with the flame he played with it, making it spiral through the air, spinning it around himself, making it take different geometric shapes.  
  
It was when he was playing with the water in disc shape that he made a startling discovering, as his excitement had risen he swung his arms harder watching the water deform itself from the momentum. Something was set of from his excitement and the water disc flew straight into the wall at a blinding speed, rather than a splash of water as Callum expect there was no sound of any kind. Peering at the wall he noticed a small clean cut where the water had hit, he was certain it wasn’t there before which meant that somehow the water had cut through solid rock.  
  
Using his power once more and seeing the water slither out like blood from the earth only confirmed what he thought. Never would he have thought that water could cut, much les rock.  
  
An idea burst into his head, if it could cut rock then maybe it could cut the shackles around his arms.  
  
Before his excitement overtook him his rational thought kicked in, he barely had any control over this power and cutting off his hand by accident wasn’t on his to do list.  
  
Even if he did manage to cut his shackles without losing his hands he highly doubted he would be able to fight his way out with just this, either due to fatigue or because his kidnappers might have tide bound elves that could interfere with his power.  
  
If his power was discovered he knew his captors wouldn’t make the same mistake twice and would thoroughly block any primal source from him.  
  
He needed practice and considering he had nothing else to do in the cell he was confident he would get more than enough.


	22. Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Callum meets his new handler, Rayla makes progress and informs the rest of the gang and someone is having a crisis in her nether region.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone sorry it took so long, thanks for being so patient with me. 
> 
> Real life has just been sapping everything from me, from the heat, to the work I have been feeling exhausted recently. But i have been working bit by bit on the next chapter.  
> Hope you guys enjoy it.
> 
> I also have news that might interest you guys, first of all this is a strong "Maybe". It will depend entirely on my financial situation and the availability of the artists. So lately I have been wanting to see Zaiti, Triz, Amalia, Selaria and Siphis come to life through an artistic representation. However, finding an artist that is willing to create characters from scratch is pretty hard. Luckily i have found 2 potential candidates, one is much more expensive but his art style is more "refined" while the other is cheaper but his style is a bit more cartoony. I personally feel like the first one would do the characters justice the most but again he costs a lot more than the other, so I do plan on trying to have the characters drawn but again I am limited in my spending so it wont be a quick thing. If i ever get one done I will make a separate chapter where I will post all the pics and write the names of who is currently represented so i dont create a chapter for each character.
> 
> I do have a question for you guys would you prefer they be represented in a "formal" manner as in they dress normally and are in a normal kind of pose or in a more "erotic" way, like Zaiti being drawn in her swimsuit when she went out of control posing as a way of showing off. I initially thought of doing erotic straight away but felt like that would look like i was trying to make my story more popular by showing porn of it rather than using the characters. Sure I could go for both and probably will but again it costs and I cant just endlessly spend for it.
> 
> So there you have it, thanks again for being patient with me hope you enjoy the chapter, its a bit shorter than usual.

Callum couldn’t tell what time it was, isolated from the sun his internal clock failed to estimate whether it was morning or night.

Ever since he had been left alone in his cell Callum had done nothing but practice, but by bit he had gotten more control over his newfound abilities. Each time he let the other element spread further and further but he still kept it on a tight leash afraid of what would happen if he let it run wild.  
  
When his exhaustion made itself known Callum had decided not to press himself further, if he was too tired to notice someone opening the cell door he might end up found out and his entire plan going up in flames.  
  
Unfortunately his cell didn’t exactly scream luxury, there was no furniture not even a single bed. No doubt this was meant to make yearn for the comforts of his previous life and as much as he wanted to deny he felt that way the image of his soft cushy bed lingered in his mind.  
  
Deciding that the spot he was standing was as good as any other place in the cell Callum simply laid down and attempted to escape to the world of dreams. It took him what felt like an entire hour before exhaustion took him, his sleep was not the kind he had hoped for. Dreamless and devoid of any comforts his sleep did not provide him the rest he wished for, he almost felt grateful when the earth blood elf known as Tal woke him up from that abyss.  
  
“Wakey wakey sleeping prince.” The false tone of friendliness Tal used made Callum hate the elf even more. The comfy chair he was sitting in made Callum subconsciously jealous especially since hard stone had been his only seat.  
  
Pushing himself into a sitting position Callum angrily eyed the elf who was accompanied by 2 armoured elves.   
  
“Hey don’t give me that look, I’m a significant other improvement over Gat who would probably have beaten you into submission.”  
  
“Considering I am still captive whether it is you or Gat hardly makes a difference.”  
  
Tal simply chuckled at Callum’s statement before replying.  
  
“Now your highness I am not unreasonable like Gat, I understand this is a very sudden change for you. Going from step prince of Katolis to captive in dungeon can be a pretty big change, luckily for you that lifestyle can partially come back, although that will depend on your behaviour.”  
  
Callum could already guess where he was going with this, being obedient would garner him “rewards” while disobedience would deprive him of what little he had left.  


“So for today we are going to start off simple, nothing too extreme.”  
  
At those words one of the guards pulled a bag from behind him. Placing its contents on the floor Callum saw most of it was food and grooming equipement.  
  
Callum was not certain what this elf was aiming for but he didn’t like it one bit.  
  
“Why don’t we try with the basics, Callum I would like you to go to that pile and pick up a brush and come groom my hair.”  
  
Callum stared blankly at the elf, what kind of stupid request was this, he knew that this was most likely the first demand of many but still, Callum was expecting something more like manual labour. That is until he remembered what kind of “slave” he was being groomed into.  
  
“Should I take that silence of yours as a refusal sir Callum? Because if so I’m afraid I’m going to have to take what little you have, namely your privacy and your... “dignity”. Although ultimately the one making the decision is you.”  
  
The mention of his privacy being taken away snapped Callum out of his thoughts, that wasn’t something he could afford.  
Launching into motion in a somewhat jerky manner, Callum quickly rose up and made his way to the pile of of objects, it took him a second or 2 to a brush.  
  
Making his way behind Tal, Callum attempted to groom his hair, with an emphasis on “attempt”. Callum had only ever groomed his hair which was flat and simple, never had he brushed the veritable bush that was the elf’s hair, it reminded him of his brother’s signature afro.  
  
“There we go, see it isn’t an unreasonable demand now is it?”  
  
Callum simply muttered a no not wanting to humour the elf. He knew the orders would start small before escalating, something Callum loathed thinking about.  
  
“I’m hungry why don’t you grab me something.” The taunting tone annoyed Callum to no end, the temptation to yank the elf’s hair was great but the reminder of the consequences held him back.  
  
Redirecting his attention to the pile Callum scanned for something an earth blood would prefer, he could guess the various pieces of meat would interest him. Callum simply picked out the first vegetable his eyes fell on, in this case a carrot.  
  
When Tal laid eyes on his choice he burst into laughter, Callum for his part couldn’t figure out what seemed to be so funny.  
  
“I can suppose from your confused look that your choice is by complete accident but what are the odds.”  
  
Even the guards who had been silent until now joined in the laughter, it took a good 5 minutes for them to stop laughing.  
  
“Well then what are you waiting for, you’re not expecting me to eat it myself are you?”  
  
Callum had to desperately fight the burning desire to ram the carrot down Tal’s throat.  
He needed to endure, however, he promised himself he would get back at Tal one way or another once he was free, that was a promise he definitely intended to keep.  
  
——————-------------------------------------  
The constant burning in her loins was driving Alphis mad, no matter how much she tried to bury the image of that gorgeous sight of Callum’s new body, those wings and horns crackling with electricity we’re sending jolts down her spine.  
  
She had thought that she could keep those desires in check by focusing on her work and a few pills but that desire to have strong offspring continued to make itself known like a rampaging animal.  
  
She couldn’t focus, every time she tried those thoughts forced their way back into her mind, increasing her discomfort. She needed to act soon or she feared she’d lose her mind to this aching, what little restraint she had left urged her to wait just a bit more, wait until he recovers and Tal has some time to work on him only then would she make her move on Callum.  
  
In the mean time she would need to calm this burning desire the only way she knew how. Quickly locking the door to her office she opened a hidden drawer from her desk, within was what one could only describe as some kind of smooth stone crudely carved in the shape of a penis. She had never had to use it before but now she was glad she had bought it out of curiosity, if she hadn’t she was certain she would be clawing at the wall begging for some form of release.  
  
Quickly undoing her clothes she allowed them to fall to the ground leaving her body bare, settling down on her chair she brought the object to the entrance of her womb. She wouldn’t needed any foreplay in this case as she was completely wet down there. Almost as if her body refused to risk wasting a single second should a moment of intimacy with Callum presented itself.  
  
Pushing it in Alphis let her mind wander, images of the new Callum burst into her mind like a dam. She imagined him all tied up, vulnerable and powerless, all hers to do as she pleased with.  
She pictured it, straddling his naked form before bending down and nibbling on his ears on the most sensitive parts of an elf next to the horns. A gasp escaped her lips, her heart increased in tempo and so did her hand. His shaft grew erect from her attentions, slowly she slid it in sending arcs of electricity through her body.  
  
Carried by her pounding heart and her aching womb she rode him with everything she had, moans barrelled out of her mouth echoing through the room.   
  
More juices trickled from her nether regions as she got closer to her climax making a mess of her chair and floor. As she felt Callum reaching his own climax her body burned even further with what it desired being sos close at hand. With a final ear piercing cry Alphis’s body tensed up as she came, juices sprayed from her pussy creating an even greater puddle on the floor and completely soaking her chair.  
  
Once the final jolts of bliss finally left her Alphis could only sigh in bliss and relief, the burning sensation was gone, quenched for the moment. Cleaning herself up with some tissues she kept for this very purpose she quickly her clothes back on who luckily hadn’t been soaked by her activity.  
  
The matter of her chair and the puddle on the floor remained, quickly deciding it was best she cleaned up this mess herself. Knowing tissues won’t be enough she quickly unlocked her door and opened it.  
  
Before her was the cleaning lady, a moon shadow elf, her face a deep purple color. The face of pure embarrassment upon her face confirmed Alphis’s fear, she had heard her “satisfying”herself. She had completely forgot that it was around this time of day that the cleaner came to her office.  
  
“How long have you been there?” Demanded Alphis desperately trying to maintain and semblance of dignity.  
  
“I think right when you started, I was about to knock but then I heard you “enjoying” yourself so much I thought it would... rude to interrupt.” The elf failed to maintain eye contact with Alphis during the conversation further embarrassing her with the reminder of how loud she had been.  
  
“Go in and do your job but I will say this only once, speak a word of this to anyone and I will end you.”  
  
“Yes yes miss.” The effect was diminished because of the situation but got her point across.   
  
Walking away to allow the cleaner passage Alphis decided that perhaps a bit of fresh air and a snack would do her some good, lest she loses control of herself and do something stupid.  
  
——————------------------------------------------------  
  
Within the dawn guard mansion a meeting was taking place, Rayla had gathered her comrades as well as their parents. Through her meditation she had sensed Callum’s location even though for a brief moment.  
  
“He was under what seemed to be an inn in the city, the very same one that supplied the pies at the Siren’s party. There’s no confusing those moon berry pies with anything else. He also seemed to be in good health considering what had happened to him when we made the connection.”  
  
“Well what are we waiting for let’s go!” Zeranya had to physically grab hold of Sarai to stop her from dashing out the door.  
  
“I only sensed him for a moment, the exact location wasn’t clear, it was very vague, images and impressions nothing more. I need more time, if we charge in now they will most likely move him before we can get to him and they know the location better than we do.”  
  
Everyone nodded at her explanation, even Sarai reluctantly accepted that Rayla was right. Zeranya spoke up.  
  
“Then I suggest we continue as normal but try to avoid searching too deeply into that area just yet, they might sense something is up or they might get spooked and move him.”  
  
“I’m sorry for getting everyone’s hopes up like this, I’ve been making a lot of progress with Selaria’s help but it’s not enough yet.”  
  
“Hey relax Rayla, we all knew it would take time and at least we can see you’re making progress.” Triz’s reply did help ease Rayla’s unease but deep down Rayla still felt like she wasn’t moving fast enough. Her only comfort was that Callum  
  
The slight nods from the other girls helped emphasize they were all of the same mind.  
  
“Well I don’t mean to sound pushy but the longer we talk the less time you can spend to move forward, so I suggest we let Rayla get back to it.” Sarai has spoken up, still held tightly in Zeranya’s grip.  
  
Rayla wanted to chuckle at the sight but her thoughts were drawn back to Callum. A simple nod was all she gave before departing to somewhere more quiet alongside Selaria. The other girls left to prepare themselves for when they would storm the inn and continue their fake searching.  
  
This left the adults alone in an empty room.  
Just as they were about to go handle their own affairs Sarai once more spoke up.  
  
“Now that we have some time alone, just us adults, there’s a “touchy” subject I would like to talk about.”  
  
The other adults moved closer to Sarai in anticipation of this “subject”.  
  
“ I want to talk about your little “man hunting” practice, it’s got to stop.”  
  
“You have no right to demand that of us human, it’s because of your people that we are forced to rely on such a method!” Runaan’s voice dripped with hostility.  
  
“If you you had let me finish asshole then I would have added that it needs to either stop or change. Until now you had managed to keep us unaware of what you were doing, but now the entire kingdom of Katolis knows and so will the other kingdoms. How long before one of your girls comes back as a corpse if you keep doing this?”  
  
The room fell silent as the others contemplated Sarai’s words, it was Taili that decided to shatter it.  
  
“As much as I agree with you we do not have another option, your kingdoms would most likely try to “starve us out” if we tried settling this diplomatically.”  
  
“I understand that, which is why I would like to suggest someone that might be able to solve this problem of yours. His name is Viren...”  
  
“You would ask us to bring one of the strongest dark mages directly into our country? Are you insane?” Runaan once more burst out at Sarai’s words.  
  
“If it had been the old Viren I would have agreed with you. However, ever since Callum proved that there was an alternative to dark magic he’s changed. Besides you don’t have any other option, if you continue like this things will end in bloodshed, if you were able to remove this curse you would have done so.”  
  
The others remained silent, deep in contemplation of her words. They clearly still weren’t pleased with the idea of Viren being allowed entry but they couldn’t deny Sarai was right. If they allowed things to continue as they are it would escalate sooner or later.  
  
“I do not trust Viren but I trust you, at least partially. If you can swear that he will do nothing to the citizens of Xadia I can try to talk to the other clans. Even if your dark mage cannot provide a proper solution, the future still needs to be discussed with the other clans. I suppose you will want a means of contacting him, once Callum is safely back with us I can have something arranged, it will be faster than any means you might have.   
However, make no mistake if your mage does something then the responsibility will fall on you.”  
  
Sarai nodded at Zeranya’s words, it was her responsibility and she would accept the consequences no matter the outcome.  
  
“Are we all in agreement?” Zeranya scanned the others, they nodded their agreement but their displeasure was abundantly clear.  
  
With consent reached the group began to separate, each planning to prepare their equipment for the raid to free Callum as well as get their minds off the fact that they were planning on letting one of the most dangerous dark mages enter their country even if it was to potentially save their kind.  
———————------------------------------------------------------  
  
Callum was beyond excited, his previous foul mood at the degrading behaviour Tal had made him adopt burned away. After being freed from Tal’s demands of essentially pampering him a bed had been brought to him and a proper meal for his “good behaviour”. He even managed to convince Tal to have a mirror brought in for “grooming” purposes. However, that wasn’t what had Callum excited.  
  
Once he was free from prying eyes he started his experimentation of his newfound powers. Using the torch in his cell Callum had stretched out a single arm towards it, like before the bright orange colour slithered up his arm overtaking the bright blue. Instead of stopping it at just his arm Callum decided to allow it to proceed further, albeit with a degree of caution.   
  
As the orange made its way up towards his head and right wing Callum felt a pressure, more like a burning desire actually. Once the orange marking had reached his wing something unbelievable happened...  
  
It burst into flames, Callum panicked initially, desperately looking for a water source to put out his burning wing. He had to try hard not to scream for fear of his captors barging into the cell, it was thanks to that that he realized his wing wasn’t hurting. In fact the heat didn’t even bother him, touching it with his right hand he felt good, powerful like a blazing fire ready to engulf everything.

Curious Callum raised his hand like he did when pulling the fire from the torch, a jet of flame burst forth from his wing condensing into a ball in his palm. Callum couldn’t describe how ecstatic he felt, normally one is limited by the presence of their element or lack thereof, but if his wings provided it that weakness wouldn’t apply to him. His mind raced at all the possibilities, how would his wings change with a different element, water, earth. Callum wanted to try it out so badly, excitement rose within him.

Suddenly Callum felt a strong pressure coming from his right side, turning his gaze towards it he saw the orange markings were slowly inching their way forward. He was certain he had been keeping it under control like all the previous times so why was it advancing?

Concentrating even more on that pressure Callum tried mentally pushing it away, yet the markings stood still for a brief second before resuming their advance. As Callum focused even more he began to feel why it was overwhelming him, like a child blocking a small stream he had allowed it to build up in strength and now that he had opened the flood gate the fire refused to be quench. He felt like a longing from it to be complete, it was a like a sentient fire that had only reach half its potential and desperately desired to completely ignite itself.

Sweating and breathing hard Callum poured all his willpower into pushing it out, but the fires will matched Callum’s pushing onwards he felt its desire to settle completely within him. Callum was panicking, he didn’t know exactly what would happen if the markings were to cover him completely but his instincts told him it would be loud.

Thinking quickly Callum tried to find a way to weaken the raging element, desperately searching for something that could help him Callum’s fear increased as he failed to find anything. Glancing in the mirror did nothing to help his state of mind, the markings had reached his right eye and horn. His eye had turned to a bright fiery orange while his horn looked like a piece of heated metal burning in a bright red and orange color in contrast to the still blue left horn.

Then a small noise drew Callum’s attention, it was the pitter patter of the water droplets he had forgotten were in his cell. Panicking Callum raised his arm towards where he remembered the drops to be.

His panic must have enhanced his power as instead of a ball of water a straight up jet of water came hurtling towards him. Slamming into the burning wing pain arched through his wing as the two primal sources duked it out, he felt the water desire the same thing as the fire and sought to kick it out to take its place while the fire was attempted to repel this intruder.

With both elements weakening each other Callum focused once more forcing the orange marking back, he felt the sky primal pushing alongside him speeding up the process. He felt the fires anger at being denied but it was unable to win a two way fight despite the ground it had gained while the water failed to gain any. Finally after what felt like an eternity the fire and water had been expelled, his wing, horn and eye reverting to their usual blue.

Part of Callum was terrified of how close he must have been to being found out, yet a part of his heart burned with excitement. Even though it had been expelled he could feel the fires desire to try again, yet without him allowing entry there as nothing it could do but wait.

Callum had learned quite a lot today, firstly it seemed that his wings could manifest only one element at a time for the moment and that trying to let another one in would cause a struggle between them.

Secondly he now knew the fully embracing an element would end in a very loud fashion, he didn’t know how exactly but that’s what his instincts told him.

Lastly the primal sources seemed to be alive to a degree.

This only made his potential escape harder, if he couldn’t train fully with a different element than the sky he currently had he would probably struggle against other elements, not only that his shackles were designed only for sky users. Callum didn’t even know if he could revert back to the sky primal at will if he embraced a different one, would it be chased out completely or would it simply lay dormant until he called upon it. There were too many uncertainties but Callum had no options, he would require another element to break free but once he did that he would absolutely need to make sure his escape was successful.

Exhausted from these events Callum decided it was a good time for a small nap, flopping onto the bed Callum fell almost instantly asleep. Almost in the sense that he was once more in his dark inner world, strangely all the girls were gone, he even checked the outskirts of the bubble but they were nowhere to be found.

“Cal-“ Rayla’s voice echoed through the darkness, distorted and weak. Desperate to talk to a friendly voice Callum tried focusing on the voice.

“Callum.” The voice was getting clearer.

“I’m here!!” Callum shouted, hoping for an answer.

“Callum! I don’t know if you can hear me but we’re coming for you, just hold on we haven’t given up on you. If you can hear me don’t do anything stupid, let them think they’ve won.”

Callum’s heart beat faster at those words, knowing that help was on the way refilled him with hope. Just like Rayla had said he needed to play along but knowing that the girls and most likely the girls were looking for him help fortify his resolve.

Callum hoped for some continuation to the message, any excuse to be able to continue listening to a friendly voice.

“Callum, whatever happens or they do to you I… We will always love you. Even if we have to chase after you across the entire world we will do it in a heartbeat. So please don’t put yourself in anymore danger.”

Callum’s heart fluttered as Rayla’s confession echoed through the void, was the effect enhanced by being within his soul? He had no idea and he would have plenty of time to figure it out later, right now all he wanted was to get out of this prison, to go back to the girls, to his mother and who knows maybe his brother and adoptive father if he can talk some sense into the parents.

With no further message coming from Ralya Callum fully drifted off to sleep to regain his energy to face the events of tomorrow, his only hope was that the girls would find him soon.


	23. Practice makes perfect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Callum's training continues while the girls begin making the final preparations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, thank you so much for being patient with me. Its getting unbearably hot here so its hard to find the motivation to write.
> 
> Hope you guys like this new chapter, again feedback and comments are appreciated.

Salais had expected her day to be fairly boring one, she had been assigned as the sole guard for the human who was practically a celebrity around here: Prince Callum himself.

Her sky bound elven colleagues (even some of the guys although she wasn’t sure if it was for themselves or potentially introducing them to another member of their family)had tried to bribe her into switching duties with her, but Alphis had made it clear that it was Salais and not someone else that guarded Callum today. 

Being a sunfire elf she didn’t get why they were so desperate for even a peak of him, well at first that is. Once she laid eyes on him she understood why he was so popular smog sky bound elves. The way his horns and wings crackled with electricity, the bright blue color it bore, the magical tattoos that slithered across his skin, the bright blue piercing eyes, he must be a walking talking sex icon for any sky bound in the vicinity. 

If he had been of the same strength for the sun primal she was fairly certain she would have done almost anything for a chance to court him, and if that failed she probably would have jumped him consequences be damned.

That was probably why no sky wing guard was allowed, although his “highness” had been fairly obedient so far no one wanted to give him a chance to stir up trouble. Overall she admitted that he was pretty cute, having yet to have a hunt of her own and having come of age 3 years ago she had been getting a bit frustrated at her lack of dating prospect. Honestly she’d have settled for the former human before her if he wasn’t in this predicament and if she had the means to hide him from the very powerful families searching for him right now.

She had been quietly standing behind Tal as he ordered the human about, from getting items, to brushing his hair. She could see the human was far from happy with his situation but chose to keep it to himself, a wise move in her opinion as being complacent would earn him better treatment.

She had been pretty bored considering her charge was far from physically intimidating, sure she wasn’t the size of those dawnguard giants but she was still a few inches taller than him and was confident she could easily overpower him should he try anything especially with his magic sealed.

However, Tal’s next order snapped her out of her thoughts.

“Get on your knees and please Salais”.

This was rather unexpected, she had assumed she would have had to simply stand silently and watch whatever Tal made the human do, it was also a fairly big jump compared to what he was asking him a few minutes ago.

The look of pure hate from the human told her everything she needed to know about how he felt about this.

For her part Salais was a bit torn, on one side she would have preferred a willing partner, but on the other hand she was very pent up as toys only got you so far before you began craving more.

“I don’t want to repeat myself Callum.” Tal’s tone made it abundantly clear there would be some consequences if Callum didn’t comply. Salais felt a shred of pity for the former human, being forced to sexually please someone against your will was never fun, however, that quickly receded when she reminded herself that it was due to a human they were both in this situation.

“You will do no such thing Salais, that is Callum’s job” Tal uttered as she began to undo her belt.

Looks like Tal really wanted the human to do most of the work, probably to break him into his new life.

Reluctantly Callum approached her, defiantly glaring at her. Since she was pretty much masked by her helmet she was pretty sure he couldn’t see the amused grin she was sporting. 

Callum knelt down before her and began undoing her belt. Once it was freed he slipped his hands inside grabbing hold of her underwear, hesitantly he pulled downwards causing her pants and underwear to fall to the floor leaving her lower half bare for the world to see. 

It felt strange to have her upper half covered while the cool air of the cell caressed her legs. Callum stares for a few seconds, clearly reluctant to proceed further, however, Tal’s gaze and his tapping of his foot on the floor reminded him he had no choice in the matter.

Bringing his face closer to her crotch she could feel his hot breath blowing over her, the anticipation increased the rhythm of the her breathing and heart.

When he made contact a wave of heat washed over her causing her to let out a moan.

Callum assailed her nether region with short and somewhat unenthusiastic licks but they were getting the job done. Pleasure assault Salais causing her to place a hand on Callum’s head gently scratching it.

Egged on by the pleasure she was feeling she gently tugged Callum forward asking for more of his attention, her action failed to elicit a response from Callum who simply continued with his unenthusiastic motions.

Slowly she felt something else, a pull on her very core. It wasn’t an unpleasant kind of pull, on the contrary it was immensely pleasurable like a lover playfully pulling her to bed. 

She didn’t know how Callum was doing this but she loved this feeling, whole heartedly accepting the pull causing the pleasure to rise as her very being was assaulted.

However, the feeling rapidly vanished, the intoxicating pull she had been feeling until now let go and slipped away into nothingness. Desperate to have that feeling once more she grabbed Callum’s head with both hands and pressed it against her crotch, hoping that being closer physically would reignite the pull she had been experiencing.

Unfortunately nothing happened expect a slight panic from Callum at being shoved into her crotch causing him to grab hold of her legs to act as an anchor. Once the panic subsided Callum seemed a bit more enthusiastic his tongue stroking her with more enthusiastic licks filling the void she was feeling. 

Hungry for more Salais couldn’t help but bend forward as her knees as well as the rest of her body were having difficulty remaining up right.

Whatever had gotten into Callum seemed to have really made him more enthusiastic as his tongue slithered its way inside her sending jolts of pleasure arching through out her body. Moans flood out of her mouth unable to contain herself anymore.

Finally reaching her peak, a final lustful moan escaped her lips before she collapsed onto the cold hard ground. That didn’t matter to her, her body was so hot that she didn’t even feel the ground.

Either this had been beginners luck or Callum simply was a natural at this.

As she basked in the afterglow her mind lingered on that strange intoxicating sensation she had felt for the briefest moment. Her body and mind craved to experience it again in full not just a sample, she hoped she would be called in for another session.

“Impressive Callum, seems you have a knack for this.” Salais clearly saw Callum wasn’t flattered by Tal’s comment, shooting him a scornful glare while wiping his mouth, no doubt covered in her juices.

“Oh don’t look at me like that, I asked you to please her, I didn’t say you had to use your mouth your hands would no doubt have sufficed. I’m glad you seem to be liking this new development.”

Callum flushed brightly turning red as a tomato causing Salais to let out a giggle as she realised Tal was right.

Failing to come up with a comeback he could only glare at them in anger and embarrassment.

———————------------------------------------------

Rayla stares into the distance, trying to process what she had seen, heard and felt.

She had managed to form an almost perfect connection with Callum. She had taken in his new form, positively overflowing with primal energy. Even to her he was gorgeous, from his wings, to his horns everything about him was beautiful. Sadly she watched him being forced to groom that earth blood elf, she felt his anger when he demand Callum pleasure the guard.

When she saw him seem to get more into it she at first felt a pang of betrayal, however, the feeling of wanting to hide something from his captors Callum gave off washed away that negative feeling. Instead she understood he was cooperating not because he wanted to but because he had something to hide, something that could help him escape. She didn’t know what it was exactly but right now it wasn’t important, she finally could feel Callum clearly, she finally had the reassurance that he was truly ok.

The connection needed a bit of refining but the ground work was set, soon they would be able to get Callum back, soon he’d be safely back in their arms. 

She had conveyed her discovery to the others, who had reacted with as much happiness as she had expected from them. Their warm smiles told her they were just as excited to have Callum back as she was, whether it was his mother, one of the other girls or their parents everyone seemed to be glad to being closer to bringing Callum home.

Selaria even sweetened the event, well, at least to all except one. Casting some star magic she managed to conjure a floating image of Callum’s new form, everyone’s bulged at the sight. Rayla worriedly looked at Sarai, fearing she wouldn’t take this in a good way

When Rayla laid eyes on her, her heart warmed at the sight. Sarai had her hands clasped over her nose and mouth muffling the gasps of joy she was emitting. 

Sarai didn’t care Callum had changed, in her eyes he still was and always will be her baby boy. Tears of joy slipped down her cheeks. 

“That’s still him... that’s still my boy.”

The joyous event was interrupted by the clatter of metal plates and utensils falling to the floor in a cacophony of noise.

The group turned to the door to see Triz and Taili standing in the doorway, staring at Callum’s image almost like they were mesmerised by the sight. A pile of plates and food strewn across the floor explained where the noise came from, after all they had gone to the kitchens to grab some food. As they justified: you can’t strategise with an empty stomach.

“Is... is that Callum looks like now?” Triz’s voice was trembling as she spoke. Her legs were pressed against each other, visibly shaking.

Her breathing had become hot and heavy, a visible blush meshed with her purple blue hued skin.

Her mother was in a similar state, staring at the image before her with hunger.

Triz emitted what seemed to be the beginning of some kind of whistle song and briefly shuffled her wings before she seemed to snap out of her trance.

Her blush grew in intensity and she covered her mouth in a hurry with her hands.

The others could only stare at the bizarre event they just hand witnessed.

“What was all that about?” Rayla inquired

“I’m sorry that was really embarrassing.” Triz showed a never seen before amount of embarrassment, no matter what she had done she kept her chirpy attitude.

“Care to elaborate.” Sarai’s state left no doubt that the matter would not be dropped, no doubt due to it involving her son.

“Demand explanation” Siphis chimed in slamming her hand on the table, as direct as ever.

Triz nervously played with her fingers eyeing each person in the room seemingly hoping for some kind of support. She found none, seemingly giving in with a groan she began her explanation.

“It’s a… sky elf thing, for those with wings. It’s an invitation of sorts, to a little romantic dance in the sky before finding a quiet little place to… ruffle a few feathers.”

Silence reigned across the room as the others took in her explanation, every second making Triz visibly more uncomfortable. Sarai finally broke the silence.

“So you were going to propose to get dirty with an image of my son the second you saw it. I thought Zaiti was the horny one but you take it to a whole other level.” The parents eyed Zaiti silently questioning her about what Sarai meant, for her part Zaiti could only blush and look away.

“Hey its not my fault, hes practically a walking talking sex icon for a skywing elf and that’s just an image, it doesn’t have the primal magic like the real deal. We probably are going to have to fight off horny sky wing elves every time he walks out in town.”

“Seriously?” groaned Rayla, no doubt annoyed at the idea of having to shoo away overly friendly sky wing elves whenever She would our with Callum.

“Rayla he’s pretty much everything a sky wing elf would want, his wings and horns are almost mini thunderstorms in their own right. Mom can achieve the same result when she is healthy and focused yet I doubt Callum is completely recovered and certainly doesn’t seem to be in a state of concentration. Which means he’s on the same level as mom when he’s relaxed and it’s only going to get stronger with practice and time.

Any skywing with even half a brain would be willing to pay anything for a kid with him.”

“We are not whoring out my son, it’s already complicated enough with you girls I’m not letting it get anymore complicated especially not with hordes of illegitimate children running around.” Sarai spoke sternly preventing any further discussion about the subject.

“Don’t worry mother in law that was never even a possibility, I’m confident Triz was simply using it as an example to show how special Callum has become.” Zaiti replies with a confident tone.

“It was indeed just an example don’t worry, no way im sharing Callum with any more girls than the ones here.” Reassured Triz.

“I think you forgot Claudia, unless she gives up on Callum I think she has a right to join in, after all Callum was going to confess to her before all of this happened.”

Groans filled the room as the girls reminded of their nemesis. They clearly wanted to protest but knew better than to got against Sarai.

“When you say Claudia do you mean Claudia as in Viren’s daughter? The dark mage you will be inviting into Xadia?” Lain spoke up

“One and the same, she was Callum’s crush before this happened and from the looks of it she still wants him. My son sure is popular isn’t he.” Sarai teased.

“Fucking great, not only does my little Rayla have to share her human with these girls but also the daughter of the biggest darkest mage in human history. Why primals, why do you do this to me, to my little Rayla.” Tiadrin wailed as she vent her frustrations.

“Please compose yourself Tiadrin, we are all facing the same issues as you and we aren’t moaning about it. Isn’t that right Taili?” Zeranya countered

For her part Taili remained silent, blankly staring at Callum’s image. 

“Mom, you ok? Hello, anybody home?” Triz waves her hand in front of her stunned mother’s eyes, finally they moved Taili seemingly snapped out of her stupor.

“You ok there mom we kind of lost you there for a bit.”

A blush crept onto Taili’s cheeks as she diverted her gaze away from her daughter.

“I was... contemplating the possibilities... if I had been born a generation later.” Taili was nervously playing with her fingers as she confessed.

Silence reigned as the others took in her confession.

“Are you fantasising about my fiancé mom?! You’re married how could you?!”

“Oh hush dear, I’m very happy with your father it’s nothing but some stray thoughts.”

The group giggled at the bizarre conversation happening before them causing the duo to blush even harder. 

“I’m starting to wonder if Callum’s chastity will actually be any safer here, this place seems to be filled with nothing but thirsty elves. It’s only a matter of time before someone jumps him.” 

Another wave of giggles erupted at Sarai’s comment.

“ I must confess if I wasn’t married I would already have snatched him up and ran.” Zeranya jokingly added.

“Moooom.” Zaiti half-heartedly wailed at her mom’s attempt at humour.

“What? He’s like a little plushie, so small and huggable I just want to squeeze him in a big hug, well more than that if I wasn’t married.”

“Uuuuugh mom, stop fantasising about my fiancé!” Zaiti wailed at her mother’s commentary, the rest of the room continuing to laugh as the bizarre conversation continued its course.

Finally after a good few moments the laughter died down, a large amount of stress dying with it. Looking back at the still floating image of Callum the group smiled, they could finally begin seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, they finally felt Callum was almost safely back with them.

The sound of frantic footsteps brought heir attention to the door, one of the servants came running into view with a scroll of paper clutched firmly in their hand.

“Me-message from Miss Agatha for Lady Scylla.” The servant spoke out of breath.

Taking the piece of paper Scylla quickly unwrapped it, Agatha was an influential skywing elf that owned a food delivery company she called “fast food”, she was also a very good friend of Scylla. For her to send an urgent message it must be important.

Reading through the message a look of shock plastered itself onto her face.

“My friend just got an invitation to Callum’s auction, their doing it tomorrow night!”

“What, that’s way sooner than expected. Did they catch on to something?” Tiadrin barked

Zeranya stepped in with a grim look on her face.

“Can this source be trusted?” 

“Yes I’ve known Agatha for years, she wouldn’t lie to me. She might be a skywing but she made it clear to me she wanted a willing husband, not a slave.”

“Then we have no time to waste, Rayla and Selaria finish consolidating the connection. I will gather any soldiers under my command here, I suggest you do the same Scylla and Taili. As for you and your family Tiadrin I pray your skills haven’t rusted in this time of peace.”

She received a series of affirmative nods from the others before each rushed towards their tasks.

—————---------------------------------------------------

Alphis was on fire, not literally but that’s how her body felt. The desire to mate with Callum came back like a hurricane, not only that but a feeling of paranoia assailed her.

She had been surveying the movement of the dawnguard soldiers as well as the other families affiliated with Callum. They looked as lost as a decapitated chicken, searching through numerous areas even passing a few times in this area. Yet they never had found anything, she was confident their network was secure, that they never would find them. Yet her instincts were screaming to her that something was off about their movements, her body told her they knew where Callum was. If they did then why haven’t they busted the door down and stormed the place, her years of experience combine with her raging instincts made her feel like she needed to act fast before she loses everything, her chance with Callum included.

She wracked her brain trying to find what felt off, but no matter how much she tried she failed to find the sign she was looking for. However, she couldn’t ignore her gut feeling.

With a ring of a bell an underling walked into the room, patiently waiting for his assignment.

“Fetch me Tal, and if he asks you why just tell him things need to speed up.”

—————

Callum was finally alone once more, gone were Tal and his sunfire guard. Another elf had come to get Tal forcing him to end their session early, something he was grateful for. 

His secret had almost been found out, when he was forced to pleasure the guard he felt the same feeling he felt when the fire from the torch tried entering his body. He had to focus hard to block it out and sought to end his “session” with the elf as soon as possible. Yet the only thing he was touching was the elf guard, it wasn’t until he had time to think about it that it finally clicked.

She was a sunfire elf, for whatever reason his body had tried to pull some sun primal energy from her, something her own body seemed eager to do. Not only that but she seemed to have been enjoying the feeling as she pressed against him once he had managed to block it out.

For the remainder of the session he had to fight against his own body, preventing it from tapping into her magic source. Of course her incessant desire for more physical contact didn’t make things easier. From massages to eating her out again Tal made him do it all, his body reacting instinctively to so much stimulation. She wasn’t Zaiti but she certainly brought back vivid images of the tall dark giant of a woman, especially that night she went out of control her bountiful assets nearly bare before him hidden by the thinnest swimwear he had ever seen.

A small set of knocks on the door pulled him out of his thoughts, the door slid open to reveal the same sunfire guard (or at least he thought it was the same one).

“Got news for you little princeling, you’re getting auctioned tomorrow night.”

Callum’s heart sank at those words, were they some kind of taunt meant to dishearten him?

“W-why?” Callum barely managed to utter, his voice audibly cracking from the flood of emotions.

“Hell if I know, but that’s how it is. Better keep up the good behavior cus I don’t think Tal will be in a forgiving mood. Also I would hate to have to get rough with you cutie after what you gave me today.”

A small giggle escaped the guard before she closed the door, leaving Callum to his thoughts. He wanted more time, more time to practice and train, he needed to be certain his escape attempt would succeed.

Unfortunately it seemed fate was not on his side this day, for a moment he considered training as much as he could tonight before banishing those thoughts. This was his last chance to rest properly before being auctioned, he couldn’t afford to fail because he was too tired.

Eyeing his bed Callum reluctantly made his way towards it, flopping onto it once he reached his destination Callum attempted to find rest. Callum folded his wings around him as a sort of make shift blanket, he had found out that they helped him feel safe. Unfortunately today’s news raced through his mind, the countless terrible ways this could go, no matter what he did he couldn’t chase them away, preventing him from finding sleep.

He wanted this nightmare to be over, he wanted to be back in his mother’s arms, he wanted to be back with the girls, even being alone with Tiadrin felt better than this. They might have kidnapped him like his current captors but they didn’t treat him like merchandise to be sold to the highest bidder, they loved him and he fell in love with them.

Images of each one of them crept into his mind, their tender smile, the warmth he felt when they embraced him, the way they joked with him and found his dorkiness cute. As the memories continued to flood into his mind Callum allowed himself to be carried away, slowly he fell into his own mind gently carried by the warmth of those memories.

His last thought before drifting to unconsciousness was to simply hope that the girls are aware of what’s happening.


	24. Auction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alphis makes her move and the auction happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guy sorry for the long wait have been busy and getting back in a writing groove is pretty hard. But i finally did it. I think this is one of if not the biggest chapter ive done so far (5600 words).
> 
> Again sorry for the long wait hope you guys enjoy.  
> Sorry had a slight problem with chapter numbering.

Amalia was in full panic mode, everyone had heard rumours that Callum had been kidnapped again, the bustling activity from the noble families and the loose lips of certain guards after a few too many drinks confirmed those rumours.  
  
The families were out for blood and she was certain they would stop at nothing to get him back, the best most people could do was to stay out of the way and hope for the storm to pass.  
  
The letter she had found on her desk sent shivers down her spine, it was an invitation to a human auction with Callum as the main event. How they had managed to get this letter on her desk without any sign of breaking in terrified Amalia.  
  
They most likely thought she was like how her mother was in the past, chasing any guy with desirable traits and using any means to obtain them before discarding them once she had what she wanted. This had resulted in Amalia having numerous older half sisters, although that mattered little to them and they considered each other family. It wasn’t until her mother met her father that she changed, he was a simple soldier of Katolis taken prisoner during a skirmish, why she was smitten with him is a secret only known to her.  
  
Regardless she “called dibs” and for an entire year hammered at the emotional walls her father had put up. Just like any real wall they slowly but surely crumbled and even after being with child she remained focused on him alone.  
  
Being brought out of her memories by the trademark sound of Stumpy her pet worm, Amalia quickly went about thinking of her possible course of actions.  
  
She certainly didn’t and couldn’t obtain Callum by “buying” him, she wanted to win him over fair and square and the other families most certainly wouldn’t take it lying down if she tried.  
  
She couldn’t ignore it and leave Callum to his fate, not just because she was drawn to him but because she knew some of the richer families could be absolute monsters to their partners. The thought of letting Callum fall victim to this made knots in her stomach, the image of those emerald green eyes devoid of that glimmer of life they held caused her to shiver.

Logically speaking she could only contact the dawn guards and company and try to work out some kind of plan with them. If the subject of a “reward” is brought up (or even if it wasn’t) the only one she really desired would be to be allowed to court Callum freely without any interference from the other girls or their families. If he rejected her in the end that would be the end of it but she wanted her fair shot at his heart, helping them save him would definitely earn her that right at the very least.  
  
Now there was the matter of contacting them without getting noticed, she was certain this organisation would have spies checking the dawn guard estate and any other family related to Callum for that matter, meaning she couldn’t just walk up the front door.  
  
Messengers were also out of the question as they would no doubt try to intercept or trace them back to their source, well conventional messengers that is. Amalia was somewhat of an oddball among earth blood elves as she attempted to find a use for almost any creature she came across, even creatures no one in their right minds would think of using.

In this case it was the well-known Xadian mountain worm, a harmless worm covered in plates of chitin with its mouth splitting open to reveal a set of sharp teeth they used to dig through the rock. A rather gross creature to look at to most but tolerated due to them feeding only on plants giving little reason to hunt them. To Amalia they were a potential secret messenger, she had one specimen she named “Stumpy” that had shown great promise. It took her many months for him to even begin understanding what she said but with enough perseverance and patience she managed to train him to deliver messages by hiding it in his stomach.

Granted she needed a special container so the message but the benefits of having a secret underground messenger were undeniable. Practically no one could interfere with Stumpy’s travel allowing him to reach highly guarded places undetected, she had taught him to recognize who the message is to be delivered to by taste. Each client had a specific capsule which she imbued with a very specific taste, once that was done Stumpy would do the rest.

  
Spreading her magic through the floor of her home she attempted to sense any disturbance, she wasn’t sure if the messengers were still inside and she couldn’t take the risk. For a good minute she searched for the slightest oddity, for anything that felt even remotely out of place.  
  
Her search ended up being futile as nothing was found, either the messenger was gone or he was skilled enough to hide from her senses. Considering how skilled he/she would have to be to evade her she suspected that his employers wouldn’t want to waste him surveying a single client.  
  
Deciding to risk it Amalia quickly wrote up her message, the paranoia tingling at the back of her head causing her to repeatedly turn around to an empty room.  
  
Her message done she quickly slipped the piece of paper in her special capsule specifically for Zeranya, easily capable of holding a well folded piece of paper while still being small enough for Stumpy to swallow. Discretely slipping it into her sleeve she quickly made her way to her garden. A short series of tapping from her foot brought Stumpy to the surface seemingly eager to help, the dirt he kicked up helped, his audible chirping signified his excitement at seeing her.

“Ooooohhh who’s my favorite little worm, yes you are!” Amalia knelted down to pet Stumy who was practically shivering with excitement. While she was busy scratching him as discreetly as she could she slid the capsule into his mouth, causing him to audibly gulp.

She didn’t know how smart Stumpy was but to her surprise rather than take his time swallowing said capsule he almost instantly crammed it down his mouth, possibly sensing the urgency hidden under her fake excitement.

A belch escaped his throat causing Amalia to giggle.

“Well mister I think you should go work off that snack don’t you think.” She just hoped that if there were any people that were spying on her, then they didn’t have enough time to get a good look at the capsule.

Knowing the routine of message delivery Stumpy proceeded to burrow back under the soil using his earth magic to plug up the hole he made.

Left alone once more Amalia could only pray that her message would get there in time.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alphis couldn’t hold herself back any further, any potion, herb or magic she used in an attempt to smother the firestorm within her body failed. One thing dominated her thoughts and one thing alone: Callum. She wanted him and she wanted him now, his consent didn’t matter since he would be gone tonight and now was her only chance to satisfy her hunger.

The door leading to her prize lay unguarded before her thanks to having come up with believable excuses as to why the guards should be focused on the auction room rather than a rather cooperative prisoner who was restrained by some of the most advanced equipment known to elves.

Inserting the key into the large metal door and turning it produced the sound of the lock retreating from its slot, something that sounded like bird song to Alphis as she was in her current state. The fertility drugs she had taken before hand no doubt sending her body into overdrive in preparation for the act.

Pushing the door ajar revealed the object of her desires, Callum was sitting on the side of the bed that had been given to him for good behaviour. He seemed to have been in the middle of changing into the clothes given to for the auction, his lack of clothing except a pair of shorts fanned the flames of desire burning up in Alphis.

“Wh-what do you want?” Callum visibly blushed at the sudden unannounced visit bringing a shirt against his body in a bid to cover himself.

Wordlessly Alphis stride forward until she was right in front of her prize who simply stared back at her like a scared rabbit staring at a predator.

Lunging forward Callum could only yelp in surprise as Alphis pinned him against his bed using her own weight to maintain her advantage. Her legs pressing down on his wings to avoid him using them to swat her off, although she was careful not to press down too hard and risk breaking them.

Her heart was pounding from a mix of adrenaline and excitement, normally someone this powerful would have instinctively fried her to a crisp in retaliation yet thanks to the shackles she was free to approach. Even though she knows they will hold her body screams to be careful, it was like playing with a primal stone the raw power it possessed was astounding but on its own it couldn’t do anything, complete and utter control. However, there was always that miniscule chance of a crack, a small breach in the prison to let loose the raging elemental power sealed within.

The mix of excitement and fear was intoxicating to Alphis driving her further into her frenzy, diving forward sliding her tongue across Callum’s bare neck eliciting a shiver from Callum. Alphis knew very well it wasn’t one of delight but rather of disgust, unfortunately beggars couldn’t be choosers, this was her only chance and she was going to seize it consequences be damned.

“Get off me!” Callum shrieked renewing his attempts to break free, craning his neck away from Alphis although it did very little to stop her assault.

Continuing her violation of Callum’s neck Alphis completely ignored his thrashing in an attempt to break free, eventually causing him to break down into sobs.  
  


Sliding her free hand under his shorts she found what she sought, slowly massaging it elicited the desired reaction from his body although Callum himself looked at her only with anger and disgust. Seemingly renewed by her invasion of his most sensitive body part Callum renewed his futile efforts to dislodge Alphis.

As much as she wanted to take her time she knew very well she couldn’t linger as the time for the auction was drawing close.

With his body having reacted on its own and hers being on the same page as his, Alphis decided it was time to move onto the main event, the very thing that had been driving her crazy these past few days.

Removing her hand from his shaft Alphis slowly tugged his shorts off revealing the erect shaft that had been hidden underneath, enhanced by the adrenaline coursing through her body she could practically smell the arousal.

Finally realizing her clothing was in the way Alphis was at a road block, if she wanted to remove the pants she was wearing she would need to get off Callum who would no doubt use the opportunity to fight her off. Her lust filled brained wracked itself for a few moments trying to find a solution to this serious dilemma.

That was when her brain clicked, grabbing the pants at crotch area she proceeded to pull as hard as she could ripping the fabric apart. The cool air of the cell assaulted her nether region although she was confident that Callum had enough warmth to share once she got started.

Lifting herself up while being careful to keep Callum pinned she proceeded to use her free hand to angle his rod to her womb. The look of fear Callum had did nothing to dissuade her in fact seeing someone so powerful reduced to her plaything seemed to turn her on even more.

With a swift motion she forced Callum into her sending jolts of pleasure coursing up her spine. It was finally happening, the one thing she wanted the most was happening.

Callum could only sob at this violation, he already had been turned against his will and now this woman was forcing herself on him. There was nothing he could do, his wings were pinned, his hands weighed down by the cuffs and his legs could only flail uselessly.

Unlike the burning passion that had almost taken him when Zaiti made her move this made him feel nothing but disgust and revulsion towards the act. He wanted this to be over and the quickest way to do so was to let her do what she wanted. Emboldened by the pleasure she began moving up and down in a rhythmic fashion, each motion sending waves of pleasure throughout her body egging her to move faster and faster as she felt her peak approach.

Callum could only look away trying to take refuge in the memories of the girls, they were nothing like Alphis. They always tried to respect his wishes despite their rather difficult circumstances, never forced him to do things he didn’t want to (well at least for the most part), tried getting to know him. Just as he was about to escape to his fonder memories a rising pressure in his cock forced him back to the scene before him.

With a lust filled wailed Alphis reached her peak at the same time as Callum who erupted inside her spraying his seed inside her unprotected womb.

Disgust invaded Callum even further, it didn’t take a genius to guess what Alphis was hoping to achieve beyond a quick lay. Even if he escaped he knew his mind would be plagued by the constant question about whether or not this act had “consequences” in the future, consequences that were completely against his will.

While Alphis seemed to be basking in the afterglow, panting heavily like an animal Callum could only sob. He just wanted to disappear, to find some small hole to crawl into an hide. His first time was meant to be something special, something that would stay in his memories forever, in this case it would but not in the way he hoped.

Alphis casually got off Callum having gotten what she wanted, she only hoped that this one time was enough as she couldn’t go for a second helping since it might affect his value in the auction if he was mentally scarred (or at least too visibly).

Although considering how he had practically flooded her womb and her fertility pills she felt like her chances were high. Rubbing her stomach at the height of where her womb she could only wish his seed good luck, hoping that all the measures she took to increase her chances will be sufficient.

Her mind was so preoccupied with what was happening inside her that the gentle sobs as Callum curled up into a ball using his wings to cover himself in an attempt to protect himself from further aggressions. He wanted to go home, he wanted to take refuge in his room lock the door and never come out, to not let anyone see him so... filthy.

——————----------

Rayla hurled up onto the floor, her family and friends crowded around her as she had suddenly felt sick while they were discussing their plan of action. After receiving a message from Amalia from a worm about her being invited to the auction and proposing to try to get him out safely by “buying” him and bringing him back to them. At first they were skeptical but Zaranya knew Amalia well enough to feel like she was trust worthy and the option with the least risk to Callum was much more preferable.

Of course Amalia proposed a signal in case things went south in the form of a small shockwave in the earth, something they would easily feel even if she was underground. They had barely finished giving said worm a return message that Rayla’s chest began to ache, but that pain wasn’t her own it was Callum’s. Clutching her chest the group could only gather around her and wait, the pain only grew worse as time went on to the point that she felt like her heart was going to burst.

She didn’t know what was happening to Callum but she didn’t need to, whatever was being done to him someone would pay, dearly. It was only once the pain subsided that Rayla allowed her lunch to backtrack up her throat, her parents tightly gripping her shoulders in silent support.

It was only a few second afterwards that the pain stopped only to be replace by the feeling of disgust that forced her to throw up.

“It’s… its Callum, they did… something to him. I.. I can’t feel him anymore. Selaria I can’t feel him anymore!”

Her panic seemed contagious as Selaria quickly knelt down in front of Rayla, pressing her hands to the sides of Rayla’s head. For a few seconds the Star touched elf remained silent, her eyes closed in concentration. The group could only remain silent as the awaited Selaria to finish.

“He’s still there, he’s just… shut himself off. Whatever they did to him affected him badly.”

Zeranya firmly put a hand on Sarai’s shoulder as she seemed like she was ready to charge out the room, surprisingly she didn’t. Instead the look of anger remained giving the impression that she was about to explode.

“Whatever happens, I’m getting my son back tonight, I don’t care who I have to run through to do so.”

The group knew Sarai meant what she had just said, retrieving someone that was stolen from them was one thing but going on a murderous spree was another even if somewhat justified. They just hoped they would be able to free Callum with too much trouble before Sarai was charged with elf slaughter, her being a human certainly didn’t help.

Luckily the time for the auction mentioned in Amalia’s message was closing in fast.

“We don’t have much time left, the auction will start soon I suggest we get ready while we can. As long as Callum is alive we can help him once this is all over.”

Zeranya’s words might seem cold to the girls but deep down they knew that they needed to remain focused. Just like she said once they had Callum back then they would be able to help him.

Steeling themselves the group headed out to prepare for the auction, they could only hope that things went off smoothly.

Amalia was beyond nervous, her heart was pounding like a drum in her rib cage. She had made it to the auction without a single problem, she had presented her invitation to the inn keeper at the inn Sarai had worked and had been lead to a trap door hidden by moon magic.

Once down a moonshadow elf guided her through the underground to a large open room filled with rows of seats and a sort of stage at the front, curtains to the side no doubt hid the slaves from view. Some seats were already occupied by elves of all sorts, the only thing in common among theme was the fact that they clearly had more than enough money to spare based on their attire. This was without a doubt the auction room and that scared Amalia more than anything. In her mind she couldn’t believe her actions had gone unnoticed by this organisation, she was convinced that at any moment they would jump her. 

Luckily for her nothing like that happened, taking the seat designated by the moonshadow elf she wracked her brain on how the situation could develop and what her best course of action would be in each.

Unfortunately her panic stricken mind had trouble remaining focused on a single scenario without taking a casual movement of one of the guests or guards as an attempt to capture her. It got even worse as more and more guests began arriving, some looked almost like royalty with their overly regal attire others looked like a mix between a thug and a knight radiating an aura of oppression. Regardless the amount of elves and their variety was staggering, moonshadow, sunfire, tide bound all were present.

A slam from a hammer tore her out of her thoughts, a large earth blood elf woman stood upon the stage in front of a tall wooden stand, no doubt what she had smashed the hammer against.

Silence fell across the room as the guests focused their attention on the earth blood.

“Esteemed guests I wish to welcome you to this auction and hope our merchandise will be what you are looking for. As I can no doubt guess some of you are only interested in today’s star attraction and I reassure you he will make an appearance although that will be reserved for the final spot.”

Small groans and sighs could be heard among the guests, clearly some of them hated to wait for the only thing that has caught their eye. Secretly Amalia cheered in her mind, no doubt many bidders know that they have little to no chance of being able to outbid the more wealthy groups and would most likely spend what they had on more affordable slaves, this meant less competition by the end of the auction even better if some of the richer ones decided to spend on other slaves before they got to Callum.

“Our first person of interest is this fine human.” Guards brought forth a tide bound elf, bright red fins adorned his head, arms and legs, he possessed an average build, his gaze was one of resignation. Whatever they had done to him had drained any will to fight. A collar adorned his neck linked to a chain held by a sunfire guard.

“Despite his meager physical status I promise you his connection to the ocean more than makes up for it, any tide bound looking to secure a healthy lineage will be very pleased with this one.” Several interested gazes appeared within the crowd, some not belonging to tide bound elves no doubt hoping to offer this human as a present.

“Properly trained and already turned to a more pleasing form the starting price is 100 gold pieces.”

“150” A mature female tide bound elf immediately replied from the back seats, a look of excitement upon her face.

“150 for the lady in the back, do I hear more?”

“200” This time it was a moonshadow that had spoken up and a man at that. Either he held rather peculiar tastes or the boy was for someone else.

The tide bound elf was practically glaring daggers at the other elf who completely ignored her.

“300” The moonshadow elf simply sighed and made no further contest to the current slave. No other guest seemed interested, it was that or the tide bound elf was someone not to cross and no one wanted to risk it.

“300 going once, going twice… Sold to the lady in the back.” With a small tug of the chain the slave was brought away from the stage and brought directly his new owner who was already fawning over him, she made him sit on her lap as she gently caressed his head.

In Amalia”s opinion this one was lucky as his owner seemed quite invested in his welfare or at least that was the impression she got, she knew other families who were much more “careless” with their partners even when said partners did as they were told.

The auction continued its course, various slaves were brought forth and competed for. Some were full elves others were still human, some of them remained defiant which seemed to actually please some buyers while others had clearly given up. The prices were as various as the slaves, some going for the triple digits others reaching 1000.

Some seemed to have lucked out and found a somewhat caring owner like the tide bound elf while others were unfortunately claimed by less than friendly owners, some even forcing their new slaves to remain on the ground while they waited.

Even though she wished she could save them all she would never have enough money to buy them all and tonight she had to save everything she had for one person.

“And now the moment I know some of you have been eagerly waiting for, I would like to introduce you to tonight’s star, the step prince of Katolis himself, Prince Callum!”

Excited murmurs erupted at those words, most knew they would not be able to obtain him but still wanted a glimpse up close. From behind the curtains Callum emerged, a blank expression upon his face, his wings still crackling with the occasional electric spark, like the previous slaves he was escorted with a chain attached to his collar. Unlike other slaves though he was treated with more care as the guard only slightly nudged him rather than shove if she felt he needed to move a bit faster.

Once at his designated position Callum simply scanned the area, Amalia wanted to wave to him to show him she was there to help. However, doing so would arouse suspicion and it didn’t seem like it was needed as for the briefest of moments his eyes locked with hers before going back to scanning the rest of the crowd.

“As you can see he possesses an extremely powerful connection to the sky primal surpassing even the famous Taili, however, that’s not all as he holds the potential to make strong connections to every single primal. He is partially trained but has been very cooperative, his specially made shackles ensure he cannot use sky magic so need to worry about that. The bidding price starts at 2000.”

Right off the bat Callums starting price was already twice the cost of the highest bid of the other slaves, many guest clicked their tongues or groaned as this amount was far beyond their capabilities.

“2500” A female moonshadow elf spoke up first, she physically stereotypical of her kind, her hair was more messy and unkempt than normal, what made her stand out though were her scars. Her left eye had a large scar running over it, the white pupils made it clear that the eye had been rendered blind by the wound. Several more cuts adorned her face, whoever this woman was she clearly had been in more than a few fights, the question was against who.

“2500 for the lady in the back do I hear better?!”

“3000” Amalia cried out, she didn’t know who this woman was but she had no intention of letting her have Callum.

“3500” this time it was a skywing that spoke up, a lustful gaze aimed at Callum.

“4000” Amalia was worried, this was the best amount she could muster on the spot. If anyone offers more she would be unable to do anything.

“5000” A new contender spoke up this time, it was another star touched elf. She looked similar to Selaria but her demeanor was much more sinister. It was clear to Amalia that she saw Callum simply as a tool to be used and not as a person.

Her mind raced for any solution, when Callum turned towards her eyes pleading her heart sank. She had no other solution she needed to warn the others, seeing her despair Callum glared at the floor although it wasn’t clear if it was in sadness or anger. Amalia began discretely gathering the necessary magic to create the signal.

“Going once, going twice… and sold to the star lady.” The sunfire guard next to Callum approached him to nudge him forward yet Callum refused to move. The guard pushed once more a bit more forcefully this time, what happened next stunned not only Amalia but the entire crowd.

In one quick motion Callum slammed his hand against the guard’s chest, it would have done nothing on its own due to the armor but this wasn’t a simple strike. Orange tendrils burst from the guard who seemed to be paralyzed before surging into Callum’s arm.

Before anyone could react an explosion burst forth from Callum, Amalia and numerous other guests ducked as the flames slithered across the open room. The announcer was sent flying through the air colliding with a guest as he landed.

The flames danced around the room seemingly seeking anything flammable, causing only more chaos. When Amalia dared look out of her shelter she saw Callum, however, he had completely changed.

Gone were the bright blue electric wings, instead they seemed to be engulfed in flames burning a bright orange color. His horns had turned bright orange as well looking something like heated metal, his tattoos looked more like volcanic veins than lightning and finally his bright blue eyes had turned the same color as his wings and horns.

The sight was mesmerizing, the guard that Callum had struck lay on the ground unharmed due to her connection to the sun. Instead of trying to get back up she simply stared at Callum like a moth hypnotized by a flame.

With a flap of his wings Callum flew into the air towards the door, his shackles lay on the floor partially melted from the heat. The guards by the door panicked at this bizarre sight and jumped out of the way no doubt expecting the solid metal door to block Callum.

Just before impact Callum’s volcanic veins grew even brighter and as he collided with the door it melted as soon as he touched it. In less than a second Callum was through the door having a human shaped hole in it, even if she couldn’t see him she could definitely hear Callum rampaging in the corridors.

Deciding it would be best to slip out in the chaos and since the explosion Callum caused felt close enough to the signal. She only hoped the other would meet up with Callum quickly.

\-------------------------------------------------------------

Sarai had patiently been waiting for around an hour, she hoped the earth blood’s plan worked and they could get Callum back before any fight breaks out. Suddenly a deafening sound shook the very ground they were standing on, she had to admit the earth blood elf certainly knew how to make herself heard.

All at once the various soldiers of Zeranya charged into the inn, Rayla was at their head as despite Callum having closed himself off Rayla could still feel him ever so slightly. The other girls were also present following closely behind.

Bursting through the inn various customers sought shelter from the stampeding soldiers. The inn keeper was quickly apprehended as his involvement was still up for debate.

Thanks to Rayla they quickly found a trap door hidden by moon magic, she quickly jumped down the hatch with Sarai and the rest following close behind. Following Rayla’s lead they raced through the tunnels, despite the noise they were making they met surprisingly little resistance. It wasn’t until they started seeing smoke clinging to the roof that they understood something else had the guard’s attention, Rayla’s demeanor grew more frantic as she seemed to feel Callum more clearly with each step.

A pair of shouting guards ran out of a corridor before a torrent of flame engulfed the area they had been in, trembling in fear the guards practically threw themselves in front of the group in surrender.

Whatever had the guards spooked was probably around the corner, preparing themselves for a fight the group decided to wait for this mysterious force to reveal itself.

Only the crackling of the flames could be heard before a figure practically came flying from the corridor. Through the flames a humanoid figure could be seen, whoever this person was he was without a doubt an elf of extreme power. What was most bizarre about him was the fact that he had wings that seemed to be burning but without any visible discomfort to the owner.

The sunfire soldier seemed to be mesmerized by the sight, even Zaiti failed to ready herself. Sarai’s battle ready body begged to spring into action after such a long time of anticipation, however, before she could do anything the figure spoke one word that chased away any such thoughts.

“M-mom?” She could recognize that voice among hundreds, it was Callum’s.

“Callum?” At her enquiry the figure ran towards her the flames of the wings and the glow of the tatoos almost dying out.

With her arms wide open Sarai received her son in the strongest hug she ever gave. For his part Callum gripped his mother like a frightened child, crying into her chest.

The other girls wanted to hug Callum, to reassure him he was safe but none of them felt it was right to interrupt this reunion between a mother and her son.

Sarai felt relief beyond imagining, she still thought of making the ones responsible pay, to hunt them down and make sure they can never do something like this again, yet all those ideas were put aside for now. Callum was safely back with her and that’s all that mattered.


	25. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As one crisis seems to be solved another rises to take its place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, I'm still alive. Hope things are going well on your side of the world, sorry for taking so long life is sadly being a bitch right now.
> 
> Anyway enough about me here is the next chapter, I hope you guys enjoy it as much as the others. (I tried to not waste too much time on the "filler" parts that didnt really bring anything more to the story.)
> 
> Enjoy.

The city was still in an uproar, despite most of the kidnappers and wealthy citizens that had been an accomplice being behind bars or in the process of being sent there. Zaiti remembered all those captives that had been rescued their suitors or significant other embracing them in tears, some were tears of joy other were sadly tears of despair. Some of the captives had been treated so roughly or indoctrinated that they either were slow and sluggish as if unsure if the nightmare is truly over, others did not react at all staring in the distance with a blank expression waiting for instructions.

She knew most would need a lot of time and professional help to have any hope of recovery. However, not all those that sought their missing partners found what they were looking for, some had already been sold either recently or years ago, the news of the arrests seemed to have rekindled hope in some, most likely hoping the documents collected could lead to some lost long loved one.

Zaiti considered herself lucky that she had such means and allies at her side allowing them to quickly rescue Callum, yet despite their speed Callum didn’t come out unscathed. Whatever they did to him had left deep scars on his mind. After they had brought him back to the safety of the estate, Rayla had tried to place a hand on Callum’s shoulder, no doubt to reassure him that he was safe now.

Yet when her arm touched his shoulder his only reaction was to flinch and stare at her with fear filled eyes. Of course Rayla pulled back her hand immediately even though she clearly wanted to reassure him, none of the other girls risked attempting any approach towards Callum.

In the living room of her estate where she had spent a good hour lost in her own rage filled thoughts, she wanted to know exactly who and what they had done to him. Rayla’s vague impressions of gave no concrete answer and Callum was clearly in no state of mind to talk about it. Unfortunately the needs of the city took precedence over her personal desires, the members of the trafficking ring had been rounded up and were being thoroughly interrogated for any information regarding their other hide out and their associates.

Even once they had gotten everything they could out of them she was certain the best she could hope for would be that they either get the death penalty or be forced to rot in some cell for the rest of their lives.

They had been patiently waiting in the living room while Sarai helped Callum settle down from his experience, the inability to help angered them all, although some more than others. While Triz and Taili were busy talking about Callum’s peculiar state particularly his wings as something like him was unheard of, some might think it insensitive for them to not be focusing on Callum’s wellbeing and Zaitit would have thought so if she didn’t know the way of thinking of Sky wings.

While most would remain focused on the most troubling issue regardless of whether they can do anything or not, sky wings instead focus only on what they can affect. Like the wind that blows onto a wall they try to find a way around the current issue rather than slam their heads in the hopes of something changing.

It was a truly foreign way of thinking for Zaiti who had been taught to think like a sunfire elf, straight and stubborn but honorable and true to their word. Rayla and her kin on the other hand were quietly conversing about what medicine or other means they have that could help Callum’s situation, true to their nature they kept to themselves despite everyone being in this together.

Amalia was nervously playing with her fingers no doubt her way of coping with the stress, Zaiti doubted she had ever experienced this much excitement before as Earth blood elves tended to prefer a nice steady routine very much like the seasons.

Siphis simply stared in the direction of the hall Callum had been escorted by his mother, like water she was patient and remained perfectly still and focused on her heart’s desire. Her mother was currently talking with Selaria about combining ocean and Star magic together to help in healing a scarred mind.

Selaria for the most part had remained “calm” considering the situation, according to her Callum would need time and space to heal both she could no doubt provide in ample supply considering her nature as a star touched elf. To her giving Callum the time he needs looks like a brief moment considering she can easily live up to 1000 years, however, despite her outer appearance of calmness Zaiti was sure anger was bubbling under the surface. Unlike sunfire elves that let lose their emotions in a very straight forward and loud fashion like the sun, Star touched elves tended to prefer taking a lengthier and far more devastating approach of slowly tearing apart not only their target but everything it has built. Since they could outlive their targets the knowledge that this long lived elf will still be out there to ruin their family once they are gone tends to drive most to insanity and paranoia.

Luckily for everyone Star touched elves are few in numbers and most of the time halt their grudge once the offender himself is gone unless of course the offense was particularly vile. In this case she was certain that the organization that had kidnapped Callum had earned themselves the top spot on her “shit list” as some less polite people put it.

For her part Zaiti worked hard to not let her emotions drive her to a rash decision, even if she hated it all she could do right now is wait. Her mother had left due to receiving an urgent message, from who she refused to say but if her mother gave that person priority then that person was someone of very high standing. She kept thinking back to Callum’s face when Rayla touched him, she knew she would get the same result if she tried getting close to Callum and that thought burned her up on the inside. She had spent time with Callum, earned his trust and even got him to reciprocate although she had to admit her out of control primal source might have had a role to play.

Being unable to touch him after getting so close was pure torture, especially for a sunfire elf who embraced their passions. Being forced to bottle it up with the person they love right in front of them but out of her reach was worse than any torture that could be inflicted upon her. She wanted to comfort Callum, to embrace him like she had embraced him after the incident with the avalanche, the images of his fragile state flashed into her mind yet she knew that even if he allowed her to touch the damage was not physical but rather mental, something she could do nothing against.

The fire in her heart longed for Callum but she knew she needed to keep it under control lest she truly drive Callum away from her, her thoughts returned to her absent mother she hoped she would return soon. She needed support, someone she could confide in and rely on the other girls had their kin with them but right now she was alone, she felt like a little girl again. Fragile and defenseless, yet her pride as a dawn guard held her back from showing such weakness, mustering up her courage she continued to present a calm and collected face but beneath it her heart ached like an open wound.

\-------------------------------------------------

Zeranya cursed as she slammed her fist into her desk, the furniture audibly groaning from the weight of the blow. Mentally exhausted she allowed her throbbing head to rest on her available hand, they had just resolved one crisis and now another one sprung up.

Upon her desk was a letter, a letter from none other than the dragon king himself Avizandum. It demanded her presence and any elven family in relation with Prince Callum as well as the prince himself at the Storm Spire due to a letter he had received from King Harrow demanding his son’s and wife’s safe return. The human king even swore to “take action” if Xadia does not respond or pretend to have no knowledge of what had transpired, one would think the king foolish if he hadn’t made it clear that if this was ransom then their terms needed to be known.

This matter was unfortunately something she could not delay or attempt to sweep under the rug, doing so would most likely be seen as treason something no sane elf would ever want. She only had one option available to her and that was to immediately depart towards the storm spire, she didn’t want to not only for her daughter and friends to have time to rest but also because Callum was most certainly not in the best state of mind.

With a heavy sigh she resigned herself to the current situation and called for a servant.

“Inform my daughter and her friends that we have been summoned by the dragon king concerning Callum. Tell them to make their preparations we leave tonight.”

The servant bowed at her and hurried out the room to relay her master’s message. Alone once again Zeranya cursed to herself how it seemed to be one thing after another. She had thought that with Callum safely back within her estates walls her daughter could focus on helping recover from the ordeal, yet here she was, forced to rush her and Callum onto another journey. She wished she could ask for a delay from the dragon king but the way the letter was worded made it abundantly clear that her presence was requested as fast as possible and no delay or dawdling would be tolerated.

Of course the dragon king wasn’t really the one to blame or even the human king after all she would have done the same if her daughter had been kidnapped, hell she was certain she would have immediately mustered an army rather than try diplomacy.

The real cause of this whole situation lay in the hatred between both sides. Sure they have taken human men as genuine equals for the most part but the laws of their kingdom made them equals only once they underwent the change, they still discriminated against humans until they became like them. She wondered how would things change if humans were no longer needed? Would lovers be cast out if they hadn’t turned by then, would some elves still try to seek love beyond the border? Her ancestors had taught her humans were greedy vile creatures that would never change, yet as she got to know her husband she realized how wrong they were. Indeed some were vile creatures but just like there were vile and cruel elves, unlike elves who were practically defined by their primal connection humans were capable of far greater changes.

She had learned firsthand that the entire human race is bad due to the actions of a greedy few even if the damage they inflicted was not minor. However, all this would mean nothing if the very same beliefs about elves that plagued the humans was not rectified.

If genuine peace was to be a possibility then both sides would need to truly see the other side for who they are, something she doubted the higher ups of either side would truly consider.

Chasing away those thoughts she stood up from her seat and with a steady stride walked towards the two people of interest in this whole fiasco.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

Sarai couldn’t have been happier when she saw her son again, even with his transformation he was still her little boy, his eyes had changed to a vivid orange but she could easily recognize them.

However, that happiness turned to worry as they made their way back to the estate, during the entire journey he had clung to her like a newborn shivering with fear. Ever since they had returned to the estate and been given some space by the others Callum hadn’t uttered a word, they had sat upon a bed with Callum resting his head upon her lap. She wanted to ask him what had happened but she knew deep down that pouring salt into whatever wound he had suffered would not aid anyone.

Instead she merely did what had always soothed him as a child, gently stroking his head while humming his nursery song. Even at his age it worked like a charm, slowly he relaxed all the tension I his body fading away as he was lulled to sleep. It was during that rest that she truly took the time to admire him.

His wings looked like hot embers now instead of the burning inferno they were at the hideout, gently pulsing with an orange light. Despite looking particularly hot they were pleasantly warm to touch and the bed didn’t catch fire like she had expected, his horns were the same although she refrained from fiddling with them too much. Only 3 sounds could be heard in the room, her humming, the gentle pulsing of Callum’s horns and wings and finally his slow steady breathing as he slept.

Sarai wished this moment would have lasted forever, her fragile little boy finally being allowed some proper rest with her to watch over him. Unfortunately the heavy steps that she heard getting closer told her that this peace would sadly be interrupted.

A gentle knock on the door could be heard as the footsteps stopped in front of the door.

“Come in” Sarai softly answered hoping this wouldn’t wake up Callum.

The door gently opened to reveal the imposing figure of Zeranya, her expression was a troubled one, something that worried her considering they had just managed to save Callum.

“I’m sorry for rushing you but we will have to depart for the Storm Spire tonight, it seems your husband has not remained idle since the disappearance of you and your son. I’ve just received a letter from the Dragon King that your husband has demanded your safe return, we are “urged” to make our way to the Storm spire to speak in person.”

“So Viren talked in the end.” Sarai muttered to herself, she could scarcely imagine Viren holding against Harrow’s angry gaze for long. She most definitely will need to bring him an apology basket once this is all over.

“I know this is not the best time for Callum but my hands are tied, maybe with a bit of hope being away from Seta might help him forget what happened to him.”

Sarai didn’t blame Zeranya as she had no say in the matter, it would be like a noble refusing a summon from her husband if they did not depart quickly. She wished she could give Callum to recover but once again fate seemed to conspire against her.

“Take some clothes for the journey, my house will handle the rest.” Sarai knew that this was Zeranya’s way of trying to be nice at least as much as the situation permitted it.

“We leave in 5 hours”

With her message conveyed Zeranya quietly left the room but not before giving the still sleeping Callum a look of pity. It was clear to Sarai she didn’t want to do this to him.

Alone once more Sarai gently stroked Callum slowly rousing him from his sleep.

“Callum, sweetie, time to wake up.”

Slowly Callum’s eyes opened as regained consciousness, reluctantly he sat up in the bed still clearly half asleep based on the unfocused expression he sported.

“I’m sorry to bother you Callum but it seems your dad is cooking up a storm and we have been asked to meet with the dragon king to defuse the situation before it gets out of hand.”

Callum seemed to wake up a bit at the mention of his adoptive father as his eyes opened wider.

“Dad did what?” Callum seemed taken aback by Harrow’s actions, their shaky relationship no doubt being a factor to his surprise.

“Let’s just say he might start banging on Xadia’s door if he doesn’t hear from you and me. So before it gets to that point we are going to go have a little chat with Thunder.”

“T-thunder? THE Thunder?”

“The one and only, I know I’m rushing you but we need to get moving tonight. Think you can pick out a few outfits for the trip, Zeranya will take care of the rest. Think you can do that for me sweetie?”

“Y-yeah I can mom. I-I’ll go pick some outfits.” Sarai was pleased to see that his little nap seemed to have a positive effect on Callum, the idea of meeting the Dragon Prince also seemed to have brought back some spunk to his stride. Maybe Zeranya was right, maybe this little trip away from the city was exactly what Callums needs.

\------------------------------------------------------------

It had been around 4 hours since they had left the city of Seta, the sun had set and only the light of the moon illuminated the ground. The group consisting of Zeranya and her daughter, some guards, Callum and Sarai and the girls along with their families. Lujanne had refused to come along due to having no real part in the situation and as she put it “being too old for this”, due to this she had remained at the estate in the care of the servants. Scylla and her mother aswell as Amalia rode with Rayla’s family due to their lack of mounts. Salai on the other hand seemed to be rider some bizarre purple giant scorpion who seemed to have little trouble keeping up with the other beasts, he would need to ask her about it later. Despite this being the daily moment of weakness for sunfire elves they had continued to march at an impressive pace, the idea of angering the dragon king no doubt driving them forward. However, pure willpower will only get you so far before the body begins to give in.

The sunfire elves and their mounts were beginning to slow down greatly and Callum could sense it. Before the mount took powerful strides covering ground faster than any horse could ever hope to match, now the sunfire lion looked positively sluggish in comparison. He knew that if they pushed them any further they would collapse something he was certain the others knew.

“Halt we will rest here for the night, we depart at dawn so make the most of it.” Zeranya barked to the rest of the group, he could tell she wanted to keep going but knew her soldiers and the rest of the party were reaching their breaking point.

Callum had ridden alongside his mother (who stared the lion into submission) as the vivid memories of what Alphis had done to him resurfaced when he thought of being touched by someone else. He knew that he could trust them but the memories were almost impossible to discern from reality.

He wanted to help in setting up the camp, however, the elves were clearly more experienced than he was and only got in their way. His mother had to reluctantly aid the elves in setting up camp, forced to sit down near a tree to stay out of the way as the group got busy setting up camp Callum could only reflect on these past few days.

He had been captured, humiliated and raped almost sold off to some unknown elf, he managed to break free on his own yet he couldn’t stop feeling like a frightened child scurrying to safety as soon as he spotted his mother and the girls.

Now he was going to meet with the living force of nature known as Thunder the Dragon King. He had heard stories of him, he was supposedly a gargantuan creature that could crush entire armies with little effort. Callum found it hard to believe, he was most likely indeed a very large dragon but some accounts portrayed him as large as a mountain. He took those stories with a hint of skepticism as they tended to exaggerate things to draw in a wider audience.

“What are you thinkin about?”

Taili’s voice brought him out of his reverie, causing him to flinch out of reflex.

“Wow, easy am not going to do anything. I’ll stay right here not going to get any closer don’t worry. You just seemed to be thinking really hard about something.”

Callum hated himself for reacting in such a way to someone who had never done any harm to him, yet those memories kept coming back the more he thought about it.

“I-I’m sorry I shouldn’t have reacted like that, you’ve been nothing but nice to me.”

“Shhh, its ok bad memories take time to fade I get it.” Taili said in an understanding tone as she sat a short distance away allowing Callum to feel comfortable.

“I was just imagining how Thunder would look like, a lot of people say he is as big as a mountain. I find that a little hard to believe.”

“Oho boy, are you in for a treat then. He might not be mountain size but he isn’t far, more like hill size. The place he lives in is pretty big considering he actually has to get in.”

Callum shivered at the thought of meeting a creature that large, sure it might be a thinking being but should he ever decide to indulge in human swatting there is little Callum could do to stop him.

“Where does he live exactly? I can’t imagine many places being able to house a dragon as big as you say he is.”

“It’s called the storm spire, imagine a natural tower but 1000 bigger and taller than any tower you humans have built. He lives there because there is an exceptionally strong connection to the sky primal, you will probably feel right at home with your connection to the sky.”

Callum must have had a dumb expression as his mind imploded trying to imagine such a colossal structure. Things really were beyond imagining in Xadia, despite his fear of going to the lair of such a powerful creature something in Callum burned, urging him to seek that place.

If this was the desire for adventure then he could easily understand why some people seek to travel the world rather than settle down.

“You want to know something funny, he and his mate used to live alone at their spire except for their personal guards. However, with the stunt the dark mage pulled caused an increase in guards and some even began living at the bottom of the spire without permission out of fear of losing the dragon king as well. Then with the new solution our little population problem a lot of humans turned elves and newborns needed a place to learn to harness their power and what better place to do it than the Storm Spire. End result you have a small city with an entire academy of sky mages in training guarding the Dragon King and they get to learn from the best mages around in one of the best environments possible.”

Callum didn’t get exactly what Taili found funny but he wasn’t in the mood to question her. However this new piece of information made him even more nervous. Having to meet the dragon king was one thing but having to go through an entire city’s worth of sky wings to get there was an entirely different matter. His “condition” would no doubt attract a lot of attention, something he would have preferred avoiding.

“Hey relax, nothing’s going to happen to you. Trying to be hostile to a guest of the Dragon King is the height of stupidity.”

The idea of having the Dragon King himself watching over him did reassure Callum a little bit, although not by much. After all his kidnappers had taken the risk of angering all those powerful families for him, he doubted anyone would try a kidnapping but he could imagine someone trying to do the same as Alphis before quickly escaping.

“Mom! Can you give me a hand with this?” Taili turned towards her daughter who was visibly struggling to set up her tent on her own.

“Coming. Sorry Callum I’m going to have to leave you, don’t catch a cold”

After Taili had left it took about 10 more minutes before camp was set up, the short meal that was shared was eaten in silence, the importance of the person they are meeting no doubt weighing on their minds.

Once concluded most retreated to their tents to rest except for Runaan and Tiadrin who would act as lookouts first before being relieved later.

For his part Callum was exhausted despite not really having done much and quickly went to sleep in the same tent as his mother. Her warm embrace and gentle caresses quickly lulled him to sleep.

\-------------------------------------------

They had prepared to depart as soon as the sun began to rise but when Callum looked up at the open sky something in his heart longed to be there. Maybe it was the freedom that this open sky offered that he craved due to his imprisonment or it might be the sky primal calling to him. Whatever the reason Callum had to be up there, up in the clouds unshackled by anything.

It took a bit of convincing for the rest of the group to relent and allow him to take flight, however, they demanded that Triz be allowed to follow him as they didn’t want him to get lost or be helpless if something happens.

Callum accepted the condition especially since he didn’t exactly have the most experience flying and getting lost would be downright embarrassing.

Triz accompanied Callum away from the group intending to teach him how to take off properly, logically speaking it would be the right thing to do, yet he could feel his wings screaming to let instinct take over. The itch was unbearable like an imprisoned flame his wings craved the sky, unable to take it anymore Callum opened his wings before shooting straight up into the sky with a single powerful beat of his wings.

His departure kicked up a small dust storm causing Triz to have a small coughing fit before quickly trying to fly after Callum who was currently rocketing through the sky at speeds most sky wings would find incredibly difficult to reach much less maintain.

As a result Triz could only try to trail behind the living fire bolt that Callum had become. Luckily for her and the group below it seems Callum’s excitement and the rising sun caused his wings and horns to flare up tremendously causing a small trail of flames to follow in his passing.

The group on the ground continued their march while watching in awe as Callum seemed to take to the skies like a fish takes to water, performing loops, dives before pulling back up. More than once Sarai felt like she would have a heart attack as he got too close to the ground for her liking, she was most certainly going to have a talk with him once he landed. Siphis was shooting a glare of pure envy at Triz, no doubt jealous of her ability to share this with Callum.

For his part Callum was having the time of his life, dashing through the sky at high speed, the sound of the wind howling past him, piercing the clouds and finally the gorgeous view it offered. Compared to the dark cell that had been his home for the past few days the sky was practically heaven, nothing could restrict him.

So engrossed in this new found pleasure that he failed to notice the figure observing him from afar in the sky.

\---------------------------------------

Saris was busy flying back to the Storm Spire after visiting her parents from their remote little village, her father was an earth blood elf while her mother was a skywing. As a result they had taken to agriculture rather than the city life, something she couldn’t exactly wrap her head around the idea of giving up the pleasures of civilization. Her flight had been fairly calm, apart from a few birds not watching where they were going nothing hindered her progress.

However, in the corner of her eye a light within a cloud caught her attention. At first she thought it was the sun, yet the sun was out in the open clearly visible before her. Not only that, but the light was moving very fast, like a firefly in the night.

Stopping to hover she took out her telescope and tried to identify this mystery light. This proved more difficult than she anticipated as the light source burst through the clouds faster than she could keep up before dashing into another.

Finally, her patience was rewarded. Out in the open the light hovered, quickly focusing on it she finally saw what it was.

It was an elf but one she had never heard of before, he had the wings of a skywing yet his connection to the Sun Primal was beyond obvious. His wings seemed to be wreathed in flames yet did not seem to harm him in any way, his horns looked like metal fresh out of the forge fire, trails of magical tattoos that looked like lava cracks adorned his skin and finally his eyes of bright orange like a gentle flame.

She had no idea who this person was but it didn’t take a genius to figure out that this was most definitely a unique existence. Just as she thought to try to introduce herself she spotted another figure flying towards him, another skywing who turned out to be none other than Triz of the Swift wings family.

She appeared to be scolding the bizarre elf who seemed to playfully regret whatever it was he did, the out of look breath Triz had told her he most likely had left her in the dust as some would say.

With a motion to follow the duo flew together, following their direction she spotted a convoy of a mix of various elves. For them to all be heading in the same direction and at the same time then it must have been important.

The flying duo proceeded to circle the convoy at a much more relaxed pace, no doubt they were part of that group. Suddenly her brain ticked, they were heading in the same direction as her, the Storm Spire.

“Oooooh the girls are going to want to hear about this.”

Not wasting any more time Saris flew off in the direction of the spire. If the flying duo was forced to fly at the same speed as the convoy she could easily get their before them. This little bit of information is definitely going to sell like crazy in the academy paper and not just with the Skywings but also with a few Sunfire elves that live there who might be interested in this rather peculiar individual.


	26. Audience

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group arrives at the spire ready to meet the dragon king.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is folks, sorry i wasn't able to get it out on Christmas I tried working as fast as i could. Hope you guys enjoy. As always feedback and thoughts are always appreciated.

The sun had gone past its peak and begun its descent towards the ground by the time they reached the storm spire. From high up in the sky Callum could see the massive structure off in the distance, he barely could wrap his mind around how such a spire could come into being.

Callum sat behind his mother who held the reins to the sunfire lion they were currently riding, in front of them in a semi-circle was Zeranya, Zaiti and her guards while behind them the rest of the group did the same effectively securing them in a protective circle.

His flight session had done wonders to his mental health, his mind had been undisturbed for the rest of the trip like fog had been lifted, although he was certain the memories of the scolding his mom gave him were part of the reason.

Terrifying as she was Callum knew she meant well and part of him admitted that taking off like that was indeed a very risky thing to do. Her worry for his wellbeing warmed his heart to its core, compared to the disgusting attention he had received during his captivity this was a more than welcome thing. He knew the girls wished to give him the same kind of attention and consciously knew he had nothing to fear from them, yet, he could feel it in his bones that letting them do so would end badly for everyone.

Callum knew that the problem lay not in his conscious mind but rather his very soul, after all during last night’s sleep he had once again been pulled to the all too familiar white bubble. However, the normally smooth white sphere that surrounded him seemed… cracked, like a frozen lake slowly giving in to a person’s weight.

Unsurprisingly he found himself alone within the sphere, a little bit of looking brought his eyes to what he was searching for. Out in the darkness sat the girls a face of pity and longing on their faces, Claudia was even among them and without picking a fight with them.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out that right now his soul was in no shape to allow anyone to approach or enter. It pained Callum that he was subconsciously pushing away but this was sadly something he would need to deal with by himself, with maybe some counseling from his mother.

Pulled back to reality by the veritable crowd that seemed to be waiting at the city gate. Well city didn’t exactly fit what lay at the foot of the spire, rather than a city it seemed to be a bizarre mix between a fortress and an academy. Callum peeked his head over his mother’s shoulder to get a better look, his fascination for the unknown urging him on.

Large thick stone walls surrounded the place ending into the spire itself locking the city in a semi-circle, they were high enough that proper siege towers would be needed to reach the top. The buildings seemed to alternate between large sturdy looking buildings and more luxurious looking ones no doubt housing the classrooms and dormitories. A few looked more “normal” compared to the rest, Callum guessed these were most likely shops and maybe inns, after all the students needed someplace to spend their free time, well if they had any that is, he wasn’t exactly knowledgeable about elf education. That was something he probably will become familiar with in the future.

The only opening in the walls were one set off massive double doors currently wide open, behind it was a veritable horde of elves crowded around it. There was no spot that was not taken, several winged elves seemed to either be flying overhead, perched on a building or the gate house and walls. The guards seemed to be trying to disperse the crowd but with no real results as one of the flying skywings would immediately take the spot.

Not all elves were Skywings though, he could easily spot some Sunfires and Earthblood elves that stood out like a sore thumb. As they continued to approach Callum noticed the crowd seemed to grow more active visibly shuffling as they seemed to be trying to get a better look at the group, some were even hopping in place trying to look over the sea of people.

Callum had an idea of why such a crowd was gathering and it did not help calm his nerves in the slightest, sure most were most likely curious like the general population had been at Seta but among them there as always the chance of a less than friendly intentions.

The group came to a halt a small distance from the gate and Zeranya promptly rode forward seemingly to speak with what seemed to be the leader of the guards at the gate.

What began as a simple conversation seemed to devolve quickly into an argument between her and the guard captain. Callum had to give props to the guard for managing to stand his ground against a woman like Zeranya, especially when she is angry.

“They can’t force the crowd to disperse completely, only enough to let us through.” Sarai was the first to react to Zeranya’s announcement once she returned to the group.

“What, why?”

“Apparently it isn’t against the law to gather around the gate, only if they are blocking the path can they forcefully moved.”

The rest of the group was visibly upset by the new piece of information as they no doubt guessed that such a large gathering would no doubt stress Callum out, but also provide cover for approaching the group. They had been too careless once in their own turf they would not do so in foreign territory.

The guards began barking at the crowd to clear a path, slowly but surely and with the occasional prod the crowd split apart allowing the group to move forward.

The group tightened their formation as they passed the walls, a ruckus of excitement from the roof and sky caught everyone’s attention.

“She really wasn’t kidding when she said he was hot, look at those wings.”

“Nah look at that face he’s more cute than hot.”

“Hey cutie why don’t you come and fly with us.”

A group of winged sky wings perched high up on a building were the source of the commotion. Their words seem to excite the crowd who was trembling with excitement, the taller members seemingly trying to catch a glimpse of the source of their interest.

Callum could briefly catch their eyes staring at him, filled with curiosity, desire, amazement. Before he might have secretly enjoyed the attention, now he just wanted to hide, to disappear from view.

“Aw look at him being all shy.”

Despite having buried his face into his mother’s back and even unfolded his wings to try to cover himself even more their words reached his ears unhindered.

“Who’s the human woman though and what is she doing here.”

A wave of worried whispers washed over the crowd at the mention of a human woman, a guy would be understandable but kidnapping a woman and bringing her to Xadia made no sense.

“She is my guest and who she is is none of your concern!”

Zeranya’s outburst elicited a series of gasps and worried murmurs from the crowd. Callum could feel his heart pounding faster and faster in his chest as his anxiety increased at the idea of the elves going after his mom.

“Who cares it’s just one human, what is she going to do? What about that weird skywing we were told about, are his wings really on fire?” Came out from somewhere within the crowd.

“Oh yeah, it’s definitely not a figure of speech they literally look like they are covered in flames. His horns look like heated metal.”

A series of “ooooohs” erupted from the crowd.

“If you’re here to study sky magic we would be more than happy to give you a few “private lessons”.”

“Wouldn’t he be more interested in learning Sun magic? After all sky wings tend to do have very short attention spans. We would give him our undivided attention.”

Callum didn’t know who said that but he had no desire to poke his head out from his little safe zone.

Before any retaliation could be vocalized Zeranya no doubt having reached the boiling point decided to put an end to the matter here and now.

“Step aside now before I cut you down myself, we have been summoned for an audience with the dragon king urgently! Anyone else want to hinder us?!”

At the mention of the dragon king summoning them the crowd grew quiet as worried hushed conversations happened between the members of the crowd. Giving them no time to regather their thoughts the group marched forward, the crowd parting out of reflex and instinct.

Callum was glad that they were finally moving again, still he could feel the gazes of the surrounding elves causing him to press harder against his mother’s back.

The rest of the trip was uneventful but Callum refused to relax every so often he would catch a glimpse of a passerby managing to get a look at him. Their expressions reminding him of the way Alphis had looked at him, being face to face with the Dragon king was sounding more pleasant than this.

It took them a good 10 minutes of walking at a steady pace before they reached the base of the spire. He wondered why they hadn’t simply flown up there but he could imagine not having enough mounts to be one of the reasons.

The urge to take off and fly once more was still present even if was much more subdued than before, however, the memory of the scolding he got from his mother and the sight of a few winged elves following them from the rooftops put a stop to that idea.

Eyeing the stair cases that seemed to lead up the spire in a spiral his only thought was that he hoped his legs would be able to handle the ascension, being carried up like a child was the last thing he wanted right now.

\----------------------------------------------

Viren didn’t know how long he had been in here, a week perhaps time was hard to keep track of in the dungeons. He had been confined to the dungeons ever since Harrow had discovered how he had aided Sarai, Viren truly believed he would be punished severely maybe lose a limb or two. Surprisingly he wasn’t missing any pieces, probably because Harrow still believed he might have use for him and what use is a broken tool.

His mind had constantly wondered to Sarai, to Callum, to his daughter and son, he wanted to know how they were doing, sadly there wasn’t much he could learn from the inside of his cell.

The sound of keys turning within a lock snapped him out of his reverie, the door swung open to reveal a soldier in uniform.

“The king requests your presence”

Viren knew very well that it wasn’t a request but more of an order. Following the soldier through the corridors Viren finally saw the sun after what felt like a month, the halls were bustling with activity as servants ran back and forth. Most seem to be carrying letters or parchments, whatever was happening the atmosphere was tense and things were clearly in turmoil.

Viren did his best to avoid getting in their way, having to deal with an already very angry Harrow was enough in his opinion. If there was this many letter and parchments moving around then Viren had an inkling of what was going on, Harrow was making this an issue for the entire human race rather than just the kingdom of Katolis.

In the past he would have been the first to support such an action, now he would most likely be among the last. If the entirety of the kingdoms got involved who knows how their differing ideas on how to proceed would clash.

He was certain some would choose to try diplomacy, others might try an infiltration to retrieve the Prince and the queen, the dumbest ones would most likely suggest all-out war. Even if by some miracle they managed to remove Thunder from the field taking on the entirety of Xadia would only lead to a pyrrhic victory at best and the annihilation of both sides in the worst case scenario.

Finally they arrived at the all too familiar doors of the throne room a pair of guards pulled it open as they approached. The throne room lay empty except for the strategy table and Harrow who was currently glaring at the different pieces on the table, the only acknowledgement they received was a short nod and glare before the soldier bowed and quietly left the room, the doors shutting behind him.

“I take it my execution has been delayed?”

Viren knew it was a bad joke but it was the only way he felt could safely start this discussion.

A short halfhearted snort let Viren know it seemed to have partially work.

“I do not plan on executing you Viren and you know it very well. I-I need your council, I feel like I will make a mistake that will cost me everything no matter what option I choose.”

Viren approached the table, upon it lay pieces that represented the armies of the five human kingdom, the “theoretical” Xadian forces and of course Thunder himself represented by a small dragon figure.

“I feel like I need to act now, Xadia must have received my message but there is no reply, yet I know that acting in hostile way could endanger Callum and Sarai.”

Seeing his old friend in such a state made his heart ache, he only wished he had a surefire solution but sadly he could not predict how Xadia will react, not with such little information as to their motivations.

“Harrow do you remember how Sarai had received a letter from Callum.”

“Supposedly from Callum”

“If it had been anyone else but Sarai I most likely would have thought the same, however, you know as well as I do how adept Sarai is at recognizing the little touches of her children. If she says it’s truly from Callum then it most likely is. Considering they must have allowed him to do so it is clear to me that they seek his cooperation, harming him would be counter intuitive. As for Sarai we are not even certain if she has been found yet by Xadia but if they have they most likely took her alive considering her relation with Callum. Right now we can be certain that Xadia does not mean harm to Callum and most likely Sarai, declaring war would most likely remove that certainty. Our safest option is to wait for Xadia’s reply.”

“What if they never reply?”

“You know how elves and dragons can be, arrogant and condescending, I doubt they will remain quiet for whatever letter you sent. I must ask, why did you involve the other kingdoms? Involving them will only add more uncertain factors to the mix, some that could prove to be disastrous.”

Harrow remained silent for a moment before finally answering.

“I could not stop thinking of the report, 4 elves and phoenix yet none of them seemed to have been true soldiers. If Xadia truly had desired to kidnap Callum they would have sent a group of trained moon shadow elves, then I remembered the rumors around our kingdom and our neighbors. Teenagers vanishing into the night, some thought lost to animals and accidents but no bodies were ever found. I think this isn’t something recent Viren, I think this has been going on for a while and if it has the other kingdoms have a right to know. I called a summit to discuss this as a unified front, no secrets.”

The more Viren thought about it the more what Harrow said made sense. The group that had kidnapped Callum clearly hadn’t been trained soldiers or else they would never have been spotted in the first place, this kind of activity would indeed explain the bizarre disappearances and being upfront with the other kingdoms would prevent several possible misunderstanding. The only question that remains wholly unanswered is simply “why”, why was Xadia kidnapping humans. Clearly it was not for ransom as most that vanished had been commoners where death was more frequent and no demands had been sent. Whatever Xadia was up to they wanted to keep it under wraps.

Deciding now was not the time to distract himself with thoughts he could not answer, now was the time to aid his oldest friend from making any mistake that could potentially cost him everything that he held dear. Harrow could be reasoned with if a strong enough argument was made, he just hoped the other rulers would be as reasonable.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sarai was exhausted, they had finally reached the top of this idiotic spire. Clearly they had designed this for someone capable of flight in mind, the walk up those stairs was straight up torture. They had been forced to leave the sunfire guards at the bottom of the spire due to the fact that bringing your own personal guard in front of the Dragon king meant you excepted some kind of conflict, not exactly the best way to make a good impression.

Even with her well trained body her lungs burned, her heart was pounding like crazy and her legs were sore as hell. She wasn’t the only one as everyone except Taili, Triz and Callum were visibly winded from the effort, for their part the trio seemed as chirp as ever no doubt boosted by being so close to the element. That was something she actually notice, the clouds seemed to have been following Callum, clinging to him like a lover trying to grab their significant other’s attention.

She didn’t think much of it since no one else seemed to react to it and it was possible the high altitude was making her see things. The top of the spire was a large round and perfectly large flat platform with a bridge leading across a massive split in the spire before ending right before a gargantuan cave. No doubt it was the entrance to the home of the dragon king considering an entrance of this size would be ridiculous for anyone else.

The group advancing to meet them drew her attention, a group of 4 armed elves were approaching them at a steady pace weapons drawn. From what she could tell 2 of them were 2 male earthblood elves while the other 2 were skywing elves although only the male had a pair of wings.

She was glad their faces were exposed as their grey armored outfits lacked any of the trademark colors generally associated with their respective kind. Their weapons seemed to consist of a spear and a boomerang for the sky duo while the earth due seemed to favor some sort of vine whip and a hammer.

“We have been summoned by the dragon king concerning the current “situation”.”

The guards briefly stared at Zeranya before focusing their attention to her and Callum.

“We are aware, however, for the safety of the dragon king and his family I will ask that these 2 be put under our watch.”

The way that earth blood had looked and pointed at them was unpleasant, like he was talking about a piece of dung on the side of the road.

“I highly doubt a single human would be able to harm the dragon king, unless you mean to say a single human could get past the dragon guard and best the dragon king.” This time it was Tiadrin that spoke up.

“Greetings “former” dragon guard members Tiadrin and Lain.” It didn’t take a genius to sense the hostility between the two.

“Still an asshole Moren.”

“Unlike some of us I have my pride as an elf not mixing my line with… humans.”

“Well your line is going to be cut short at the rate you are going.” Moren calm façade briefly cracked before returning to its original state.

“Regardless of my feelings on this matter it was the dragon king’s order to do so. Refusing to comply will be viewed as treason.”

The group reluctantly had to comply resulting in Sarai being flanked by the 2 earth blood elves while Callum had the 2 sky wings by his side. It made sense since earth would not likely to be effective against fire.

The other elves were ordered to walk behind the guards as they escorted them across the bridge, silence reigned as the air remained tense.

It was only once they reached the entrance did Sarai truly realize how small she was in comparison, if the Dragon king was anywhere close to that size then it was no wonder he was able to guard the border single handedly.

As they proceeded further into the structure the walls became visibly more refined clearly maintained by skilled workers. Torched lined the walls chasing away the darkness that would have been present.

With each step she took she felt herself getting heavier, hear heart felt like it was going to burst out of her any second now. Finally they entered a room of truly huge proportions, within it were not one but 2 dragons. One she clearly recognized as Thunder while the other was a mystery to her, it was far slender than Thunder and coiled up further in the back of the room.

Standing beside them was another set of 4 elves, 1 sunfire she elf, 2 moonshadow elves both women and finally a third skywing. All four stood weapons ready and at attention clearly ready to intervene in the case of any foul play.

“King Avizandum I have brought the human queen and her son, along with their “caretakers”.” Moren knelt before the dragon while Callum’s elven friends did the same. Only Callum, Sarai and the guards remained standing.

The fact that there had been no comeback to Moren’s insult from Zeranya or Tiadrin showed how serious their situation was. Taili’s trademark smile was gone as well and the usually somewhat haughty and aloof Selaria remained stoic and silent.

Thunder brought his head low inches from Callum before turning his attention to Sarai, inspecting them with his gigantic eyes.

“So you are the cause of this turmoil.” Thunder’s voice boomed throughout the room, shaking them to their very core. Silence fell as they waited for Thunder to continue his train of thought, every second was agonizingly long.

“I do not see any other solution to this predicament, the prince stays the queen returns to her kind.” Thunder’s statement made it clear his thought was final on the matter.

Sarai’s heart sank, would this really be how it ends? Separate from her son once more, possibly forever? She wanted to shouted, to insult this overgrown lizard, to tell him he had no right to separate her from how own child. Yet, no matter how much she tried to will it her body refused to budge, like prey staring down a predator she failed to move. She prayed that perhaps one of elves would speak up but a simple glanced showed they were in the same situation as her. Tears began forming in her eyes as she futilely tried to struggle against this oppressive force.

“I do not agree with this.” Callum’s voice rang out in defiance of Thunder’s judgement.

“You dare!”

“Silence Moren!” Thunder utterly crushed any thought of protest from Moren with 2 simple words. His full attention was now focused solely on Callum.

“Explain youself Prince Callum.” Thunder’s head was a good meter from Callum yet it completely dwarfed him. Yet Callum did not break eye contact, staring straight into the Dragon king’s eyes. Sarai knew he was terrified as she noticed him clenching his knuckles as hard as he could in an attempt to stop them from shaking.

“She is my mother and I have family back home. I will not be separated from them.”

“Yet you are no longer human, would the rest of your family, your people still accept you? You have undergone the change, you accepted to be part of Xadia.”

“It was not my choice.” Thunder seemed slightly taken aback by the statement before regaining himself, the other dragon also seemed to have stirred at the statement.

“Explain” Sarai could see that being forced to remember his imprisonment was tearing him from the inside, being forced to say it to a group of complete strangers only made it worse.

“I was changed against my will, shortly after I had arrived at Seta I was kidnapped. They forced me to undergo the change… it almost killed me.”

Thunder remained silent as he seemed to process this new bit of information, the other dragon clearly taking a much greater interest now in the situation than before.

“You have my condolences and I assure you those responsible will be punished, however, this does not change the fact that I cannot allow you to return to the human lands. You are uniquely gifted in regards to magic even in all my centuries of life I have never seen anything like you. That is why the thought of you returning to the human lands only to be drained by their dark magic is something I cannot tolerate.”

“Not all humans are like that, it is true some abused it but most turned to it out of desperation and necessity. If you would allow humans to be taught magic there would be no need…”

“Humans cannot learn magic Prince Callum! Your thoughts are noble but ultimately futile, humans will never be able to learn magic and I will not allow you to throw away your l…!”

“Then how come I could?!” Callum interrupting Thunder shocked everyone, only the sounds of Callum’s heavy breathing pierced the silence.

Thunder glared at Callum.

“You claim to have been able to perform magic before your change.” His tone was not hostile but it made clear that his patience was running thin.

“I do, and I could use magic before this happened to me.”

“A bold claim yet only humans would be able to confirm it.” A glare from Thunder immediately shut Moren up.

“Part of me wants to believe you Prince Callum, however, Moren does make a point. Who here can verify your claim apart from your own family?”

“We can.” Three voices in unison echoes through the cavernous room.

Thunder’s gaze moved to the still kneeling trio, only their heads were raised to allow them to look up to Thunder.

“Can you now? Look at me and tell me does the Prince speak truth. Do not lie to me Zaiti Dawnguard, Triz Swift wing and Rayla of the Silvergrove, your family names are well respected in Xadia I pray you are not futilely tarnishing them.”

Thunder’s gaze was unbearable and it wasn’t even aimed at Sarai, she couldn’t imagine how much pressure being the point of focus for that gaze was.

The girls were visibly trembling under that stare, yet they remained strong.

“We can confirm that Prince Callum is telling the truth. When we first tried “securing” him, he was able to use the Fulminis spell.” Rayla’s voice betrayed how nervous she was despite her conviction.

“Without a primal stone?” It wasn’t Thunder that spoke this time but rather the dragon in the back.

“Yes queen Zubeia, we checked his belonging there was no primal stone or anything magical that could have been used as a substitute.” This time it was Zaiti that spoke up, her voice strong and calm.

The fact that Zaiti’s called the dragon a queen explained a lot of things about who she is and why she was present.

“He even used the Aspiro spell to protect us from an avalanche. You can even ask Lujanne our supervisor she was there as well.”

Thunder remained silent clearly taken aback by his beliefs being denied so vigourously. He continued to gaze into their eyes perhaps hoping one of them cracks and admits to making the story up. The girls did not falter in their determination refusing to change their statement no matter how much Thunder stared.

“You might be able to doubt Prince Callum’s words but you cannot doubt those three dear, no matter how much you stare I can tell their story will not change.”

Zubeia seemed to intervene on behalf of the trio, something Sarai was secretly thankful for. The oppressive presence that Thunder had exerted vanished almost as quickly as it came.

“I do apologize for Avizandum’s “frevour” in finding out the truth, but please understand that this is also a very difficult situation for us. You truly are unique and letting you return to the human lands puts you at risk of being a target for dark magic, it would be like allowing a dark mage full access to a primal source. I also do not think you would be able to bring yourself to abandon these lovely girl. I have seen how they look at you and how you look at them. It is the kind of look reserved for someone you care for. Tell me Prince Callum, what would you suggest to solve this?”

Callum was clearly surprised to be given the lead role in this discussion, his eyes darted to the ground as he clearly wracked his brain for an answer.

Less than 10 seconds later his head rose to meet Thunder once more.

“Make peace between both sides.” Thunder burst out laughing at Callum’s statement.

“An admirable sentiment but ultimately impossible, Xadia has nothing to gain from this and I doubt humans will ever be able to harm Xadia.”

“That is where you are wrong, if peace is achieved and you at the very least try to teach humans magic then dark magic will lose its value, it might even disappear altogether. Last I heard its existence was one of the things you despised the most. Also you think humans will never be able to harm Xadia yet it was one lone human that almost crippled the elves, you yourself are unaffected but what happens if another human tries it again or on you? Can you truly guarantee they won’t succeed?”

Thunder remained silent, his eyes diverting briefly from Callum as if to contemplate his argument.

“The elves current way of life worked before because they had managed to avoid detection, but now my kingdom is now aware of this and it is only a matter of time before the others do as well. How long before those sent out return injured, crippled or worse never come back at all. If things are left as is both sides will suffer for it sooner or later, we have a choice between refusing to change and continue on the same course or try to change things before it is too late. I know it will be far from easy but I saw first-hand one of the strongest supporters of dark magic genuinely change his view of it, it might not be as easy for an entire kingdom much less several but I would rather try and potentially fail rather than stand idle knowing I might have been able to stop it. Even if I do not live long enough to see the consequences”

No one dared to speak up, everyone awaited the Dragon King’s answer. Some might have viewed the last part as a sort of taunt or insult to Thunder yet he made no motion to address it.

“You make a fair point Prince Callum but trust will not come easily from either side, thus I offer you this alternative. You will remain in Xadia and your mother returns to the human lands, however, you will be allowed to send as many letters as you desire and the border will be made neutral ground. If your kingdom cooperates and shows trust worthy then the idea of reuniting upon said ground could potentially be made reality.”

To Sarai Thunder’s suggestion was probably the best they were going to get, there was no way he was going to let the only insurance he has in case Katolis decides to try anything.

“I accept those terms.” Sarai genuinely felt proud of how much Callum had matured despite her heart aching at the thought of separating again. Before he might have buckled under the pressure but now he stood proudly and was clearly willing to put the future of his people before his own desires.

“Very well Prince Callum, your father will be informed of your decision and your mother will depart tomorrow. I pray for your sake that this undertaking bears fruit. Now I suggest you get some rest you all look ready to collapse, unfortunately this place wasn’t built with guests in mind so you will have to make do with an inn at the bottom of the spire.”

Sarai noticed something that seemed to be some kind of smile on Zubeia’s face but could not say with certainty, at least she seemed more open to the idea of reconciliation between the two sides. As Thunder began to turn back towards his mate Callum seemed to briefly open his mouth but no sound came from it. She knew Callum had something else he wanted to say but for whatever reason decided that now was not the best time, he had done so countless times in his childhood. The fact that he hasn’t lost that habit brought back a flood of cherished memories as well as a pang of pain at the thought of being forced to leave tomorrow. In her heart she knew it was necessary if peace was to be an option she needed to be there for Harrow and Ezran, if she stayed gods know what harrow would be capable of.

Heaving herself back on her feet she was escorted back out along with the rest of the group before being left by the dragon guards as they began their descent back down the spire. Night had fallen despite the fact that it felt like only a few hours since they had entered Thunder’s home.

They made their way down in silence, everyone clearly exhausted from the audience but Sarai noticed the few warm glances Callum and the girls threw at each other as well as the looks of respect from their parents.

Once they had reached the bottom they did not even need to search for an inn, the sunfire guards who had been left behind had found and reserved an inn of their own initiative. Mentally Sarai thanked them as right now the only thing she could think of was a nice comfy bed to sleep in, not having to search for one was a blessing.

The walk was short and uneventful apart from the occasional person walking the streets and throwing a curious glance in their direction before continuing their journey.

They arrived at the inn after a 10 aching minutes of walking, Sarai didn’t even bother to try to get a look at its exterior she was only interested in what was inside.

Zeranya as always took charge of the situation, assigning each family separate rooms, everyone was too tired to argue and there was no real reason to do so when Callum and Sarai were assigned to share the same room.

As fast as her legs could carry her Sarai made her way to her room but still made sure Callum was following behind her. Finally she reached the door with the assigned number, pushing it open the sight of a large white double bed was one of the most beautiful her half asleep mind could imagine.

She knew she and Callum must not smell like roses considering their exertion today but at this point she did not care.

Flopping onto the bed she felt all of today’s excitement weigh heavily on her, urging her to unconsciousness her eyelids forced shut. A brief shuffle on the mattress let her know Callum had joined her, reaching out she brought Callum into her embrace.

“I’m proud of you Callum.”

“Thanks Mom”

That was all the energy she had left, her mind could no longer focus on anything except resting. She even buried the one little question that could have plagued her mind if she wasn’t so exhausted.

“What did Callum want talk about with Thunder that before he decided to drop it?”


	27. Talks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Callum goes back to speak to Thunder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, good news im not dead and here's a new chapter.
> 
> I want to apologize for taking so long and sorry if you feel the chapter didn't move the story far enough. Real life is rather busy for the moment for me and just this part already reached the 6000 word count which is what i am for each chapter so theres not too much to read all at once. I originally planned to have more but just making this long enough to be "believable" took up a lot of space.
> 
> I also wanted to thank you all, never I would have imagined that this story would take off as it did and reach 34000 views. Thank you all so much for reading the story and being so patient for the next chapter.
> 
> I sadly cannot give an estimate for the next chapter but like i said before I am not giving up on this story.
> 
> Other than that I hope you enjoy and eager to hear your thoughts and feedback.

The sun had barely begun to rise that Callum was wide awake. He felt rested but as the rays of the sun began to shine upon the land he felt himself be pulled out from his sleep. At first he tried to return to sleep but the matter he wanted to address with Thunder remained stuck within his mind.

He had wanted to bring up the idea of having Viren brought to look at the curse of the elves, Callum knew that al wouldn’t go smoothly with the other kingdoms or even Katolis. There would definitely be someone looking to stir up trouble and most likely aim to block out or hold the elves hostage from their only means of reproduction.

Callum knew that if negotiations were to be on equal grounds then the elves needed some kind of reassurance, something they can fall back on if things go south. If there was anyone would could figure out how to remove the spell upon the elves it was Viren, however, he knew very well that suggesting to let him enter Xadia was a very touchy subject.

Bringing it up with the Dragon king was one thing, but doing it in front of such a large audience would just have ended in a shouting match based on how the girls had reacted last time. If he wanted to even discuss this he would need to be alone with the dragon king and queen, something he knew would be very difficult to get.

It would be like asking for an audience with Harrow without his guards, although Harrow wasn’t the size of a mountain and could breathe lightning. He hoped that Thunder’s pride in his strength would make him view Callum as too weak to be a genuine threat, if that worked he knew the guards would have no excuses to stay hopefully allowing him to quickly settle the matter.

Gently he slipped from his still sleeping mother’s grasp. Knowing how she would react if she didn’t have at least some idea of where he was, quickly he took a piece of paper from the pile upon the table in the room. His message written he gently placed it within Sarai’s hand, he couldn’t risk her not finding the paper and causing another man hunt.

His room conveniently had a balcony no doubt for the numerous Skywings living here that might want an easy spot to take off. Standing out in the fresh morning air Callum felt his body heating up as the first rays of the sun began to pierce the horizon. He felt alive, his muscles felt powerful, his lungs gulping down air like never before. His wings whose flame had died down in the night to a weak glow, like embers from a dying fire, quickly blazed back to their former glory.

He guessed that this feeling was why there are rumors that all sunfire elves are morning people, if every morning brought this elation he would do the same. His determination reignited by the sun, Callum spread his wings out before taking off in a single flap of his wings.

Slowly gliding above the rooftops Callum could clearly take in the architecture of the city, numerous towers poked out of the mass of buildings. Their peaks looked very much like the top of the towers back at the castle of Katolis, only smaller, he estimated that they could house a dozen people at once.

Callum guessed that they were public launching and resting points, arranged a fixed distance from each other no doubt allowing frequent rest for tired flyers. Speaking of flyers Callum quickly noticed several heading in his direction, some had seen him from a tower and taken off in his direction, others had simply waited on the rooftops.

Callum was in no mood for unwanted attention, especially not after the recent events and the event before him.

“Hey there hot shot, you new around here?”

“Want us to show you around?”

Callum was fairly certain these girls knew who he was even if they were not present in the crowd yesterday.

“As much as I would like to explore the city, right now I have something urgent and would very much like you to leave me alone please.” Callum’s patience was thin and he was in no mood for negotiations.

Several of the skywings seemed to have picked up the slight anger in his voice and wisely flew a safe distance but still seemed intent on following him from a distance.

Others, however, clearly did not get the message sticking to him like glue, some even getting closer. One of them made a motion to reach for his leg.

“Come on don’t like that, what could be so…”

Callum didn’t give her time to finish, the flashes of his memories causing him to react instinctively. From his hand a jet of flame flew past the offending skywing before harmlessly dying out in the sky, devoid of fuel and lucky hitting no one.

The group quickly erupted into a panic darting away from Callum, a look of fear and shock on most of them. Under normal circumstances Callum would have been more delicate in his approach, but being pressed for time and his trauma prevented any such outcome.

The looks of shock stung Callum’s heart, even if they annoyed him and they clearly were the ones at fault it still pained him to lash out in such a manner.

Now free from his pursuers and not wanting to endure their gaze any longer, Callum sped above the rooftops quickly reaching the base of the storm spire. Callum began his ascension, this time much faster thanks to not being forced to walk up the stairs, each flap of his wings sending him shooting through the air.

In less than a minute Callum reached the top of the spire, gently landing upon the platform and folding his wings. He initially had planned to announce his presence and wait until the guard escorted him, however, he did not count on the sun fire dragon guard to calmly be waiting for him. She didn’t even have her weapon drawn and was simply chewing lazily on some kind of fruit.

Callum had no idea how to proceed, did he speak up first or does he let her do the talking? How had she even anticipated his arrival, he didn’t make a ruckus as he arrived and even if he did he failed to see how she would learn of it before he arrived.

“You know flashing your primal source like that a girl might take that as an invitation.”

Callum stared dumbfounded as he tried to process what she had just said.

“I can guess from that look on your face you have no idea what I’m talking about.”

“No, no I don’t” A slight chuckle escaped her lips.

“Every magical creature elves included can choose to control how much of their primal source they want to show off, either as a threat display or as courtship. You basically have a giant “stud” sign on you” A playful smile formed across her lips.

Callum felt his face grow hot, no doubt a fierce blush forming. Before he could attempt to protest his innocence the elf cut him off.

“Relax, I can guess you’re not doing it consciously. I can imagine you haven’t exactly had time to be taught about that, considering the situation. I suppose you want to meet the dragon king, follow me then.”

Without another word the elf turned around and began walking towards the bridge leading to the second platform. Her laid back attitude considering he was in the Dragon king’s home was unusual to say the least, especially considering how he was treated the first time he came here.

“You’re not going to put in cuffs? I am going to be close to the Dragon king after all.” Callum questioned her as he speed walked to catch up to her. A hearty laugh erupted from the sunfire elf.

“Boy I’m not cuffing you for three reasons.”

“Firstly the dragon king asked you be treated with respect as we would an ambassador.

Secondly if you truly wanted to hurt the dragon king you wouldn’t be flashing your primal source so boldy, you would have gone for a stealthy approach. As strong as you are you can’t take on Avizandum with so little control over your own abilities.

Thirdly it pisses of Moren, which in my books is always a win. Smug prick, thinking only “pure elves” are worth anything. Before you get any ideas no I’m not going to even try flirting with you, already have someone waiting for me and I have no desire to get involved in the mess you already got, I’ve been in enough cat fights. So as fascinating as I find you I promise I won’t bite.”

Callum was taken aback, Thunder seemed to be taking this whole peace idea seriously, which to Callum was a good sign, he just hoped that the other side would be as reasonable. He did find it strange considering how set he was on separating him with his mother in the beginning, even with his passionate speech Callum found it hard to believe he convince Thunder so quickly, especially with how arrogant dragons could be. Some part of him seemed to think Queen Zubeia might have to do with it, but Callum still felt there was something else, the question is what was it?

Deciding that clouding his thoughts with this was a waste of energy, instead Callum focused on the sunfire elf before him.

“I actually never got your name.” It wasn’t the best conversation opener but it’s all Callum could think of.

“It’s Sala, I already know yours so I won’t ask.”

“You mentioned having someone waiting for you, who’s the um… lucky guy?” Callum wanted to cringe at his own words, but he couldn’t stand walking in silence with her.

“Aren’t you a curious one, unfortunately, I wouldn’t exactly go as far as to call him lucky.” Sala was clearly uncomfortable explaining the situation but Callum’s silence compelled her to elaborate.

“Argh fine, basically since I spend all my time here I don’t exactly have time to go human hunting. So I asked my sister if she could try helping me out. She did, but considering she spends most of her life at her forge her social skills are far from the best, especially when she’s pressed for time. In short she caught her human first, but had to wait until the last day of her hunt for the one I wanted to be isolated. End result she didn’t bother talking and just charged him and let me tell you seeing her barreling towards you is scary so of course he ran, unfortunately during said chase she accidently tackled him into a tree knocking him out but a bit too roughly.

You can imagine he wasn’t too thrilled once he woke up, I couldn’t even approach him without him freezing up like a deer. Luckily we signed him up for a human club to help those that are having trouble adjusting. So yeah we doing better but still got a lot of progress to be done, if you want here’s their card. Could help you cope with what happened to you.”

Sala flicked a card towards Callum who clumsily caught it before the wind blew it away.

“Nick’s human orientation program: Help your human adjust to elven society. Open all day, all welcome at the Azure sky.”

Part of Callum was offended at the mention of “your human” as if he was some kind of pet but another part of him made him realize this could be what he needed. His mother would leave soon and he would find it almost impossible to confide with the other girls no matter how much he told himself they would never do the same thing. The owner could have thought of a better name though, it was like saying a black crow. Last he checked they were all black.

Lost in his thoughts Callum barely had time to register having walked into the titanic chamber of the dragon king.

Within the chamber were the other 7 guards and the massive form of the dragon king with queen Zubeia still curled up in the same spot.

“Your majesty I have brought prince Callum, he wishes to speak with you.” Sala bowed before Thunder causing Callum to follow suit.

“Young Callum, I sensed you had something you wished to speak of last we met. What troubles you?”

“I thank you for granting me this sudden audience, but…” Callum fell silent, unable to force the remaining words out of his mouth. Last time he had adrenaline and the presence of his mother pushing him onward, this time he could only feel his strength leave him. He must have looked idiotic standing in silence despite him having dropped in unannounced, he wanted to scream, to shout what he had to say yet no words dared leave his mouth.

“Dear it’s clear you are stressing him out.” To Callum Zubeia’s voice was his salvation, he didn’t know why but her intervention already made some of the pressure he felt.

“I was simply responding in kind.” Thunder almost sounded like a child caught red handed having done something he shouldn’t have.

“It is quite clear to me he doesn’t have proper control over his primal source, must you really react by trying to outdo him?”

Thunder audibly grumbled at his mate’s words but seemed to relent as Callum felt the pressure vanish in an instant.

“Apologies Prince Callum dragons can get “competitive” when presented with a strong primal source” Callum was glad queen Zubeia seemed more relaxed and reasonable than her husband.

“I must apologize as well, my visit was unscheduled and I did not know that I was unknowingly challenging those around me.” With the pressure gone Callum felt his confidence return, he knew it was now or never.

“I know this is a rather unreasonable request but would it be possible to speak to you… in private?”

Curiosity flashed in Thunder’s eyes while Zubeia shuffled a bit seemingly intrigued by what Callum had to say.

“I apologize Lord Avizandum but we cannot allow you to be alone with this… human!” The word human was dripping with venom as it left his mouth.

“Technically speaking he isn’t a human.” Sala interjected no doubt in the hopes of defusing the situation a bit humor, only to realize how much of a touchy subject it was for Callum as her face shifted from a smile to one of shock.

Silence followed for a brief moment as they all waited for Thunder to reply, both guards knowing they had best keep quiet lest they truly anger him.

“As much as I appreciate your concern Moren I doubt Prince Callum would try anything, not just because he seeks to mend the bonds between our nations but because he knows his mother still remains in Xadia.” Callum wasn’t sure if it was meant to be a threat or if it was just Thunder being insensitive but he didn’t care, as long as it allowed him to discuss the matter at hand in private Thunder could say what he wanted.

Moren was clearly unwilling to leave his charge on its own with someone he clearly hated, however, he gave up most likely knowing arguing further would only anger Thunder further. The other guards seemed reluctant except Sala but ultimately didn’t protest, quietly leaving the chamber leaving Callum alone with the 2 dragons.

Callum decided not to waste any time and get straight to the point, every second he spent waiting was a risk of him losing his nerve.

“What was it you wished to discuss Prince Callum” He found it much easier to reply when Zubeia was doing the talking.

“It is in regards to a potential solution to the elves “problems”, I am not naïve enough to believe that everyone in the human kingdoms will be willing to just bury past wrongs. I know some will try to use the fact that elves are dependent on humans to continue existing as blackmail, that’s why I would like to offer a possible solution but I know it is a very “sensitive” subject for Xadia as a whole.”

Callum paused as he gauged the duo’s reaction, both seemed intrigued but Thunder seemed more tense, almost as if he knew what Callum was about to propose and he didn’t like it.

Callum inhaled deeply before continuing, knowing he would need to stay as calm and strong as he could.

“There is a person in Katolis, his name is Viren he’s the most knowledgeable person in regards to dark magic. If anyone knows how to undo what the dark mage did it would be him, if you would permit it I would like to bring him to Xadia, even if he must be under constant guard.”

“Prince Callum, as much as I find you determination admirable, bringing the strongest dark mage known to us into Xadia and inform him about the curse upon elves is something no one would ever accept. I admire your courage to even try talking about this but ultimately I cannot accept your proposal.” There was a thin veil of hostility in Thunder’s voice, Callum knew that he had only one shot to change his mind before his patience would be exhausted.

“Then you lied about seeking peace.” Those few words almost sapped Callum of his courage, the pressure returned in full force causing Callum to be shudder at the dragon’s visible anger. Rearing up on his hind legs and audible growl began to bellow from Thunder’s throat, his teeth clearly visible, each bigger than Callum.

However, before Thunder could get a single word in Zubeia’s voice cried out.

“Avizandum wait!!!” Callum clearly that it was taking all of Thunder’s will to stop his burst of rage, if it had been anyone else Thunder would most likely have ignored them. Even though he held back Avizandum’s rage clearly burned within his eyes, seemingly begging for another push to be unleashed.

“Prince Callum, would you please elaborate on your rather… peculiar statement.” Zubeia was clearly affected by what Callum had said, yet she seemed calmer than Thunder. However, something told Callum that wasn’t all, she hadn’t even moved from her current pose, not even a simple twitch or repositioning. Deciding it wasn’t the time to be distracted by those thoughts Callum pushed them to the deep recesses of his mind.

“You speak of mending the bonds between humans, dragons and elves, yet that is impossible as long as one side has some kind of threat hanging over them. As long as the elves have that curse hanging over their head it cannot be considered true reconciliation, some will always seek to abuse that curse while others might resent that curse and see it as a form of imprisonment.”

He seemed to have the dragon’s attention, feeling his courage return Callum pressed on.

“Imagine I had complete control over whether you were able to conceive with your mate, I would demand peace between humanity and Xadia and only then I would allow you to ensure the future of your kind. But if I still hold that power, what stops me from abusing it or you constantly fearing I will take your future away. You might try everything in order to convince me not to do so, but what if someone else convinces me to do it or what if someone else also holds that power over you. I could imagine the less reasonable dragons deciding to beat me into submission in the hopes of breaking me into doing what they want.

That is the situation of elves, as long as they do not have an alternative, some “safety net” to fall back on they will never be able to truly seek to mend the bonds between our people, it will always be out of fear and desperation.

That is why I called you a liar.” Callum fell silent as he had made his point, now all he could do was hope that he got through them.

Thunder seemed to still be angered at Callum’s previous words, yet he was visibly deep in thought as if he was desperately searching for something to counter Callum’s explanation. For her part Zubeia seemed to be giving some serious thoughts to what Callum had said, her eyes staring off in the distance as her tail swayed in a steady rhythm almost as if it had a mind of its own.

“I believe he makes a fair point dear.” Zubeia

Thunder clearly did not want to admit it but he couldn’t deny that Callum had a point.

Deciding it was best to strike while the iron was hot Callum spoke up.

“I know Viren used to be an avid practitioner of dark magic, but he’s genuinely changed ever since he learned I could do magic. I know it is hard for you to believe this but it’s the truth, Viren knows more about dark magic than anyone I know, if anyone can find some kind of cure it’s him. You trusted me, I beseech that you try to trust him, even if he must be under constant guard.”

A bellowing sigh escaped from Thunder’s lips as his resistance seemingly evaporated along with it.

“As much as it pains me to admit it you make a very good point prince Callum, I could hardy imagine myself ever being at ease if someone held the future of my kind over my head. I will bring up your argument with the rulers of each elf kind, I will try my best to convince them of your points but I will not allow Viren to enter Xadia unless the leaders each agree to it. I will not have Xadia tear itself apart due to politics.”

Callum wanted to tell him he could just force them since he was the dragon king but thinking about it Thunder’s course of action was indeed the best, every elven kingdom most likely governed itself like the human kingdoms, if one of them was forced to go along the idea they could very well sabotage the whole proceeding out of spite. Deep down Callum knew this was the best outcome he could hope for, he just prayed that the elven rulers would see the possibility of being free of their curse if they give Viren a chance.

Callum bowed to the couple before speaking up.

“I thank you again for accepting to hear me out despite my unscheduled arrival, I cannot imagine how hard it must have been to accept my proposition but I promise to do everything in my power to make this work.”

“Thank you prince Callum for… opening my eyes to the issues to achieving peace between our nations. I pray that your faith in Viren is not misplaced and that the elven rulers will be reasonable enough to at least consider the idea. I suggest you return to your abode before your mother try to storm the spire looking for you. We both have much to do.” Callum was surprised to hear Thunder say that kind of joke, although he could genuinely imagine his mother doing so.

With a final bow Callum strode back out of the room, his heart positively soaring at how well the meeting had gone all things considered.

As he left the room spotted the dragon guard patiently waiting further down a hall way, no doubt attempted to hear some bits of the conversation inside. However, even with the legendary elven hearing he doubted they managed to hear anything significant.

“Are you done human?” Moren spoke up his anger and disgust not even being somewhat hidden.

“Yes I am, so if you will excuse me I will be leaving. I also do apologize for coming in the way of your duty.” Callum decided that remaining polite would anger Moren more than anything, and it didn’t hurt to stay on good terms with the other dragonguards.

“Sala do make sure the prince leaves safely”

Callum could only let out a small chuckle as he resumed his walk towards to the exit with Sala walking behind him. The other guards quickly returned to the dragon kings chamber seemingly afraid Callum had done something to him.

“Soooooo, mind telling me what you were talking in there?” He knew Sala would not be able resist asking him, but he sadly couldn’t go spreading that kind of information around before the dragon king got things set up.

“Sadly Sala I cannot let you know.”

“Aw come on, aren’t we friends? Best buds? Come on tell me.” Her whiny tone reminded him of Ezran’s usual tactic of guilt tripping him into doing what he wanted.

They had just exited the cave bringing Callum back to the blazing sun that now proudly shone high up in the sky. It seemed Callum lost track of time in there, if he knew his mom she must be getting close to the breaking point waiting for him.

“As much as we are friends Sala, I’ll tell you when you are older.” Before Sala had any chance to reply Callum became airborne with a single flap of his wings.

“I’m older than you Callum! Come on, give me a hint at least.” Sala seemed like a little child throwing a tantrum at being denied his favorite toy. Yet he couldn’t deny that she had been rather polite and open with him, leaving her hanging would leave a bad taste in his mouth.

“The only hint I’ll give you is that it concerns the future of elves.”

Before Sala could try to ask for another hint Callum dove downwards towards the bottom of the spire. The feeling of air rushing past his ears was intoxicating, he felt like nothing could stop him, like he was a hurricane that could blow past anything that stood in his way.

Straightening up as he closed in towards the ground Callum soared over the buildings, startling numerous elves, some were simply peeking out their windows while others were winged skywings resting on the roofs.

Some might have had trouble finding the inn again, yet Callum had no such problem almost as if he was a fish being guided by a current leading him home.

However, Mr Hurricane met his match upon landing in front of the inn, before him was his mother visibly angry with the girls behind her also visibly upset. No doubt his sudden departure hadn’t been well received and he couldn’t blame them.

Callum quickly tried explaining himself as his mother stomped up to him.

“Wait mom I can expl...”

The sudden bone crushing hug from his mother forced the air from his lungs as she held him in a vice like grip, his feet no longer even touching the ground.

“Don’t ever do that again, or I will ground you for life.” The tears flowing from his mother’s eyes let him know how worried she had been for him. The anger on the girl’s face was also one of anger born of worry, he would no doubt find it very hard to be left alone the next few days.

“What was so important that you left like that?” He wanted to tell them everything but he knew he couldn’t, not even in private. If by accident they let the information slip then rumors will circulate and eventually reach the elven rulers ears, Callum wasn’t naïve enough to believe all of them would happily go along with the idea. If they learned about it before being called by the dragon king they very well could make a scene or lash out in anger.

“I wish I could mom but I can’t, all I can say is that it was necessary, not just for me but for all of us.”

His mother stared at him in silence, unresponsive, before finally speaking.

“That’s it, grounded for life. You young sir are not going to be leaving my sight from now on. Girls once I’m gone I expect you to do the same, I’ll even allow some bullying but don’t go too far.”

Callum’s heart stopped for a second as he processed what he had heard, the girls now sported a rather menacing smile making it clear they would abuse the hell out of his mother’s orders.

“With pleasure Queen Sarai”

If anything could be described as a sticky situation this most certainly was and Callum saw zero means of escaping his punishment.

“What’s this?”

Callum didn’t have time to protest his mom searching through his pockets and pulling out the card he had received from Sala.

“It’s a card.”

“I can see that Mr Smarty pants, I’m asking what’s it for and where did you get it from.” Sarai’s glare told Callum he was playing with fire and was dangerously close to burning himself if he kept it up.

“One of the dragon guards gave it to me, she knew someone who also didn’t have the best “experience” when coming here. She thought it might help me with my situation.”

Sarai passed the card to Triz.

“The azure sky, I know it. Not far from here barely a few minutes walk.”

“Lead the way then.” Callum was shocked at how eager seemed to be.

“Mom can you put me down now?”

“No, you’re staying like this until we get there. How do I know you aren’t going to fly off again?”

Callum didn’t even have time to answer before Triz happily walked off and the rest of the group followed after her.

The embarrassment of being carried around by his mother was beyond description. Having such a large group around him only attracted even more attention, the passerby’s giggling at the sight before them or clearly finding the scene adorable.

Callum felt his cheeks burn intensely as they no doubt were red as a tomato, desperately he tried struggling free of his mother’s embrace but she refused to budge.

“Mom come on, please put me down. I promise I won’t run off.”

“Shame, shame, shame” The bizarre chant was the only reply his mother gave and only added to his already great embarrassment. Now everyone knew he had done something and this was meant to be some kind of punishment.

Callum could only try to use his wings to cover his face, however, it couldn’t block out the noise and he could still feel the gaze of the passerby’s through them. These few minutes were most likely going to be some of the worst in his life.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thunder had to admit the human prince had courage standing true to his ideals, even if his choice of words left a lot to be desired. The points he had brought to his attention were valid and clearly well thought out, he knew how stress could reduce even the best of speeches to incoherent messes.

“I wonder, would you have accepted his proposal before.”

“Most likely not, or at least with much more resistance.”

He chuckled at his wife’s inquiry, the “before” she was referring to was their unborn child. They had argued so long on a name before settling for Azymondias.

Before Xadia was everything to him, but now that fragile little egg that lay within the circle by his wife’s body occupied his every thought.

If he hadn’t felt himself how invested one could become with the wellbeing of their offspring he most likely would have had a much harder time conceding to prince Callum’s point.

When Callum gave his example, at first he was worried might have figured out why Zubeia was unmoving but he quickly saw the young prince seemed to be unaware.

Yet his example had struck home, Avizandum couldn’t imagine the stress of having that part of his life under someone else’s control. How could he be sure that person would stay true to their word or the next person after him? How could he relax with that invisible axe above his head, never knowing for sure if that precious new life could be prevented from ever happening again?

If that was what the elves would be feeling soon he could understand the prince’s urgency. Avizandum was fairly certain he knew how he personally would react but that was him on an individual level, the same could not be said for an entire nation desperate to safeguard their own future. Some would bend to any demand while others could fan the fires of hate.

As much as he wished he could have ignored the issue the prince was right, it needed to be solved before the healing between their people could truly happen. If he had to make use of the services of one of the strongest dark mages in the world then so be it.

He just hoped that Callum’s faith that Viren changed was not wishful thinking.

Avizandum sighed, never in a thousand years would he have thought that he would be the one in charge of such a changing point in history.

He knew it would be difficult, but if it was necessary to secure a future for all then on his honor as dragon king he would face it head on.

\-------------------------------------------------

Callum currently sat on a chair that was part of a circle with numerous other elves currently seated like him. He had been dragged for several agonizingly long minutes before they finally had reached the Azure sky. The receptionist was a bit taken aback by his rather sudden arrival and Callum hoped that they would force them to come back at a later date.

Those hopes were dashed when the receptionist announced that he could squeeze Callum in. He was certain he had been intimidated by the gathering before him and decided it was in his best interest to give them what they wanted.

Luckily the girls had to wait in a separate room while he joined this bizarre gathering. There were all kinds of elves, some seemed more nervous to be here while other seemed nearly at ease.

Their host was an earth blood elf called Nick, he looked like a stereotypical earth blood elf although one might at first confuse him for a woman due to his rather thin stature and his lack of overly masculine traits.

The group had begun by introducing themselves at the behest of Nick who clearly tried his best to make everyone feel welcome, most were fairly normal, simple woodcutters or shepherds that were picked off during work. Others had been taken while they were traveling or were out playing with their friends.

Most of them had come willingly, a couple taken by force which clearly contributed to their displeasure of being here.

It was finally his turn to present himself as Nick excitedly looked at him, no doubt curious about the origins of such a bizarre looking sunfire elf. Although Callum doubted he hadn’t heard some rumors but perhaps he decided to ignore them and instead get the information from the source.

“My name is Callum I’m… was a prince in Katolis. I didn’t come here exactly out of my own free will, let’s just say my situation was a bit complicated. Before you ask no I originally wasn’t a sunfire elf, the um, fire wings came after. I had a connection to the sky primal before.”

Some of the elves reacted with shock, no doubt not expecting to see even royalty wasn’t safe from the elves while others were clearly curious to know more about his situation but didn’t dare inquire further.

Nick decided to not let the group get too focused on Callum and instead passed to the last person of their group.

A rather bizarre looking winged Sky wing elf covered in bruises and bumbs. Contrary to most male sky wings this one possessed a rather impressive beard covering his chin. However, the weirdest part wasn’t that, it was the fact that both his eyes were covered by eyepatches.

“Hello me name be Villad, at yer service.”


	28. Current character references: Callum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As promised this will be the chapter where I post any "official" art for my story. Hope you guys enjoy.

Here he is, elf Callum in all his glory having a bit of fun with his primal magic, done by the amazing Reliusmax who I became friends with recently. Would love to hear how you guys feel about it.

He is currently has a lack of commissions due to not having a reliable following so as a means to help and at the same time have something to show you guys I commissioned the piece above.

I would greatly appreciate it if you guys could go visit his new grounds and pixiv,hes an awesome artist who's open to a wide variety of themes and fetishes (and i do mean it). He doesn't do OC's from scratch, modifying a character with a clear image is fine but dont ask him to create an OC for you base don written descriptions and pics of other characters.

If some of you have money you want to spend and have a thirst for art I strongly recommend checking him out, he's an amazing artist as seen above, his prices are more than reasonable considering the quality and he works at a good pace. Whether you want a simple pin up or something more erotic he does it.

Every commission helps as he's experiencing something of a dry season and even if you don't commission something sharing with your friends would be awesome of you guys.

His pixiv: https://www.pixiv.net/en/users/36356018

His newgrounds: https://reliusmax.newgrounds.com/


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